I am you and you are me?
by The Queen Of Mischief
Summary: Harry and Draco get paired up for Polyjuice Potions, but something goes wrong and they can't change back! Draco decides to take this to his advantage, but he just can't seem to figure out Granger. She's different. Lotsa DH fluff and humor too! R&R! Enjoy
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A horrible, horrible day bean once again with the voice of Severus Snape.

Contrary to what most believed, Draco did not particularly like Professor Snape. His personality was a bit…ugh. And he had apparently never heard of the words 'personal', 'hygiene' or 'shampoo'.

His nasal monotonous voice was like a headache. "Today, we will be experimenting with Polyjuice Potions." He stated. "Due to the…_urging_ of ehem—certain…_professors, _I have decided to pair up students from different houses."

There was a murmur in the class. Snape? Promoting inter-house unity? Shock, horror, thought Draco with an internal roll of his eyes and a smirk. Good thing Snape liked him. He would most likely pair him up with someone from Ravenclaw. At least they weren't completely brain-dead.

He zoned out as Snape paired up the students. He sniggered when he happened to hear that the beaver had been paired up with Pansy. He observed them for a moment. Pansy, of course, was heart-stoppingly beautiful, but it seemed artificial. Probably because it _was_ artificial. All of it. _ALL._ that girl had had more cosmetic charms that Whatisface Lockheart! And that is saying something, he thought with a sneer.

"Draco Malfoy and," Snape's annoying voice buzzed back into his ears. "Harry Potter."

"WHAT?!" screamed The-Boy-Who-Lived-to-Make-a-Complete-Twit-out-of-Himself, outraged. Even Snape looked somewhat startled, in a slimy way. Whatever that meant.

Draco sat calmly behind his desk until the idea of him being paired with Potter—as in the Golden Losers Trio Potter. "Sir," he said, struggling with his self-calm. He would not make a Potter out of himself. He would not scream, and shame the Malfoy name to the ends of the galaxy. "I don't think I will be able to work with this…er..."he cleared his throat. _HOW THE HELL COULD YOU PAIR ME UP WITH THIS PILLOCK!? WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING, SNAPE?!?!?!? _"I don't think I will be able to work with Potter…"

Snape smirked. "I am afraid I cannot do anything about that, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco struggled not to hyperventilate. His silver eyes were wide with panic. He would have to Polyjuice himself into a _Harry?_

IW.

Just then, he saw the beaver staring at him, her eyes laughing.

He gave her the Malfoy Death-Aveda-Kedavra-I-Will-Kill-You-Mudblood-if-you-don't-Stop-Looking-at-Me look. Scary and _very _effective.

She however, was not fazed. Stupid beaver.

"Now please go and sit with your pairs." Said Snape.

Both Potty and Draco stayed where they were. "Sweet-pea, I'm not coming to you." Said Draco mockingly. The-Boy-Who-Lived-to-be-a-Complete-Airhead scowled and got up, picked up his books, and went over to where Draco was sitting. Up close, Draco thought, Potter looked even more repulsive. Why him? What had he ever done, but be an amazing human being?

Coughacompletebastardcough. Where had that come from? He chose to ignore it. It worked.

"So you will each have to drink each other's Polyjuice Potions." Snape blathered on.

He could poison me, Potter could! thought Draco.

He shrugged inwardly. Nothing to be done about that.

So they brewed their potions carefully, but not too carefully, because after all, a nasty side effect could be extremely amusing to watch.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang from across the room. Both Harry and Draco, who had been having a staring contest swiveled around.

Longbottom. Of course. It appeared his brains had fallen out his behind. You could not add _Mugwort root_ to Bloomslang skin just like _that_! You would have to be completely stupid.

No one noticed a figure slip past their table and sprinkle something into their potions.

--


	2. Chapter 2

You may be getting some ideas, but this is no slash. Not even a hint of any slash anywhere. Just saying. You know. In case. You were wondering.

**Chapter 2**

Draco stared at his potion with utter revulsion. He would be ingesting The-Boy-Who-Lived-To-Be-Annoying's HAIR.

A more gruesome prospect, Draco could not imagine. _Was _there anything grosser?

Snape shaving his legs? Okay, that was grosser on a magnitude of levels.

Keeping that in mind, he closed his nose and gulped down the potion when everyone else started doing so as well, but only after Snape added the spell liquid that would make the effects of the potion last about ten minutes.

He watched as everyone started to morph into their partners. He clenched his pale fists and waited for the pain to come. It didn't. strange. Only one explanation.

"Potter! You screwed up the potion!" he said angrily.

"So did you, Malfoy." Noted the Boy-Who-Lived-But-Deserved-to-Die.

Just then, Snape came to give them a thorough tongue-lashing for making faulty potions.

He even lashed out at Draco!!!! Merlin, that man was PMSing.

Draco sniggered at the thought.

Soon, the class ended and they all left.

Draco didn't feel so good. His stomach churned and he felt like throwing up.

"You look sick, ferret." Noted the beaver. Like he didn't know.

"The sight of you is what sickens me, beaver." He lied.

She sighed exasperatedly and walked away.

Draco ran to the Boy's room. He heaved for a long time, but it soon ended. Just as he was about to leave, his palms got clammy. He felt a stab of pain shoot through him, penetrating his bones. His forehead burnt. Forehead? He fingered it, and instead of finding the gorgeously sexy lop of hair that kept falling out of place, spikes. And a scar-type thing. Scar? On his forehead? It clicked.

He ran to the mirror. Oh shit. Oh shit oh shit oh shit. Instead of seeing his ridiculously handsome face staring back at him, he saw instead, a face that repulsed him more than any other. Potter. His too green innocent eyes were already starting to annoy Draco.

He. Was. Harry. Potter.

He pinched himself to see if he was dreaming. He wasn't. Oh SHIT.

He was late for his next class. He made a run for it. All this running was going to wear him out. It was, as far as he recalled, the same as Potter's. He entered Transfiguration and saw himself sitting there, staring at the door. Potter saw him and glared at him as if to say 'You did this!'

Draco rolled his eyes.

Harry in Draco's body mouthed 'We need to talk.'

Sounds strange. But I suppose we do.

Till then… Draco smirked at himself. He could turn this situation around to his liking…

He sat down at an empty set of tables just before McGonagall came in.

She was brisk in giving them a surprise test.

While they all wrote, Draco sneered internally. He started it as a hum. Then he started whispering the words that he had heard many times on TV—yes, he was addicted to that box—:

_This is real,  
This is me,  
I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, now,  
Gonna let the light,_

Here he started singing LOUDLY and supremely audibly:

_SHINE ON MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!  
Now I found who I am,  
There's no way to hold it innnnnn,  
No more hiding who I wanna beeeeee,  
This is ME!  
Yeahhhhh, this is me…_

**(PS this is Demi Lovato's This Is Me, BTW. Just in case you wanted to know. Also, thanks to her.)**

He was gleefully aware that the whole class was staring at him. Or, more accurately, at Potter.

This was too good. So he said very audibly "Joe Jonas is sooooooooo hot." In a dreamy, school-girly voice.

The beaver was gaping like a fish. Hehe. Nice, Draco, very nice. You clever devil you.

"Mr. Potter, if you are done, please finish your paper."

"Yes Professor McLoserface."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing, nothing."

He dipped his head and started filling in the questions with complete crap.

1. What is the appropriate wand motion if you want to transform a cup into a cat?

He wrote:

I dunnnooooooooo… I'm stooooopid.

He filled in all the questions in a similar manner(with answers like: Voldy's a cutie-pie with several smiley faces) then wrote his name on the top of the paper: Hairy Poter.

Oh, this was going to be fun.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"MALFOY!" hissed Potter after class.

"Yes, my cherub?" he asked sweetly.

"WHAT WAS THAT?"

"What was what, diddums?" said 'Harry' loud enough for the whole universe to hear.

"SHHHHHHHHHHH. What was that about Joe Jonas?"

"Actually, the song was Demi Lovato." Draco informed him matter-of-factly.

"I don't CARE! Who it was…" he said in a forced calm voice. "Is not important now. What is important is that we have SWITCHED BODIES and have not gone back to normal yet. But we can't go to Snape about it! He'd just laugh and expel us."

Draco regarded him calmly. "Relax, Potter. I have a plan."

"Oh?"

"Yes. We stay like this until my brilliant self can conjure up a plan, see?"

Harry rolled his eyes. But it was better than nothing. "Until then, can you please not do something like that again?"

"Okay. I promise." Said Draco solemnly. Not really, of course. This was too good an opportunity to waste.

--

In the Great Hall…

In between dinner, Draco in Harry's body shoved aside a couple of plates and stood up.

"What's wrong Harry?"

"Your teeth."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Nothing, nothing."

He climbed on to the table, effectively attracting everyone's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement to make. I have been trying to say this for a long time, but I couldn't. Because I'm a pathetic wimp."

He even had the teachers' attention now. Oh this was too good.

"Well, see the ten extraordinary minutes I spent in the incredibly sexy body of one Draco Malfoy during a certain Potions class," person in question was now looking extremely scandalized. "has made me realize that I cannot keep this from the public anymore. The stress is too much. So I'm just going to come out and say it." There was a suspenseful pause. "I'm gay."

There was an instant uproar. No one saw 'Draco' slam his head on the table. Then, applause. 'Harry' held up two fingers—the international 'peace' sign, and there was screaming.

Ron and Hermione looked stricken.

Harry walked out of the Hall into the Gryffindor Common Room.

He later found a note on his bed that said "This is war. H.P." ah, so Harry wanted a war, did he?

A war he would get.

--

Hermione's POV

She could not believe that Harry was gay. It was impossible, after all the chasing after Cho, then Ginny and everyone. How could he have not told her???? This was what bothered her the most.

"Harry," she found him in the common room, stretched out across the sofa, looking completely different. It was so strange! He had this new confidence, and charisma that she'd never seen in him before. The way he was eyeing up random Gryffindor girls' asses made it hard to believe he was gay.

"Oh, er, hello, Bea-Hermione…" he responded, turning to face her.

She cleared her throat. "I was er, wondering… WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE GAY!?!? I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!"

Draco was extremely startled, to say in the least. Being the genius he was, he thought up of something on the spot. "I…was scared you wouldn't want to be my friend…" he widened his eyes innocently.

She softened. Oh, mudblood, you are weak.

"Harry, I'll always be your friend, through thick and thin."

She hugged him. Something Draco had definitely not been anticipating.

He awkwardly hugged her back. It wasn't entirely unpleasant. She smelt rather nice, he was forced to admit.

--

The next day, at lunch…

Pseudo Draco Malfoy stepped into the Great Hall wearing tight black leather pants, with an equally tight black t-shirt, looking like a complete man-whore. The fake Harry Potter's jaw dropped.

This did not have the effect the real Harry was hoping it would on the populace. The girls started screaming hysterically and trying to touch him.

He managed to sit down. Pansy was staring at him with goggly eyes, drool practically running down like the Niagara Falls.

"Dracoooooooo," she managed to mumble.

"Stay away from me. I find you unattractive." Said Draco.

The real Draco managed to decipher what the fake Draco had said and smacked his head on the table.

"Harry! What's wrong?" cried Ron.

"That moron got rid of my number one fan." He muttered.

"What?" asked Ron.

"Nothing, nothing."

Hermione heard. She wondered.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Potter, what on earth was that?!" snarled Draco after the afternoon's events.

"Oh, just something I thought would boost your popularity. It did."

"It was entirely inappropriate and I looked like a…a…muggle!!!"

Harry shrugged.

Draco's eyes narrowed. "Oh you are good, Potty. But you're an amateur. Get ready to pay."

Harry blatantly ignored this. "By the way, your father wrote."

Draco's now green eyes widened. "WHAT?!"

"I took the liberty of writing him back. I kept a copy of the reply in case you want to read it."

"GIMME!"

"What's the magic word?" this was very unlike Potter. Slytherins were probably rubbing off on him.

"Pretty freaking please with bloody sugar lumps on top."

"Okey dokey."

"Stop saying 'okey dokey' Potter! You'll ruin my reputation!!"

"Okey Dokey. I'll tryyy." Harry passed Draco a paper. Becoming serious, he said "I know how important your father is to you, so I tried to be normal." Draco shot him a grateful look.

Draco read what Harry had written on the paper, his horror growing with every word.

_Dear Dad,  
How are you? How's mum? I'm fine, though school is a bit nuts at the moment. So… how are things at home? I'm settling in really well to the new curriculum and all. _

_The food is great, by the way. I'm doing pretty good in all my classes, but I miss you both very much and can't wait to get home for the hols. _

_I've been reading A History of Hogwarts recently, and it's really fascinating when you actually pay attention. Haha. _

_Anyhoo, I've got to go now. Tonnes of homework to do. _

_Lots and lots of love,_

_Draco Malfoy_

"WHAT IS THIS, POTTER?"

"Er, isn't it okay?"

"I have never spoken to my father in such a way. _Dad_? I cannot call him _dad_. It's too obscene. And I can't ask how they are, expecting an answer! You are to say 'I hope this letter finds you in good health'! School is a bit nuts? You're supposed to say its lovely!

"He's going to kill me. 'I've never said I miss them!!! And I never go home for the holidays! Pretty good in all my classes? I'm supposed to be amazing, fantastic in all my classes, and they don't care about what I'm eating! I've read the History of Hogwarts book about twenty times since I was ten! And what on earth is 'anyhoo'? Is that some slang? They don't want to know if I have homework or not! I'm expected to have homework! What's the point of school if I didn't?" Draco was horrified to hear his voice crack.

He passed his hand over his face. Harry still looked extremely bewildered.

"I've got to go," muttered Draco and turned on his heel and left.

--

In the common room…

He went up to his room and slammed the door shut. Ron asked "What's up?"

"Ceiling. Er, I mean, nothing. Malfoy keeps bothering me."

Ron nodded. "He's a complete ass. Dumbledore should just expel him."

Outrageous. "On what grounds?!" Harry demanded.

"On the grounds that he's an ass." Said Ron, as if to say, 'duh'. "Harry, last time we talked about this, you completely agreed with me!"

"Er, yeah. Listen, I've got to go."

"Okay." Said the Freckled Boy Weasel, still sounding dubious. "See you later, I guess."

"Yep. Bye." He walked away, leaving a puzzled Ron in his wake.

He went, of course, to the library. Draco, that is. Not Ron. Ron doesn't _do_ books.

He saw Granger sitting alone in a corner, reading. She happened to glance at him and smiled warmly. Her smile was nice.

He did not just think that.

She waved him over. He went there and sat down next to her before smiling his customary Malfoy smile, and realizing that it probably looked stupid on Harry and just did a normal smile.

"Hey, Harry!" She said cheerfully.

"Hi. Er, Hermione, what do you think of Malfoy?"

"Why do you ask?" she looked puzzled.

"I'm just curious. You know. Ron seems to think he deserves to be expelled on the grounds that he's an ass."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, Ron was always a bit of an extremist."

He couldn't help but grin. She said "I think… well, I think he's okay."

"Who? Ron?"

"No, Malfoy. I don't think he _wants_ to be so bad, I think he's just grown up like that. I'm pretty sure he has a heart. Somewhere. Deep down."

_I bloody well do _not! _Well, maybe. Just a little. Somewhere._

"Oh."

"You're not mad at me for not hating him, are you?" she asked.

"No, 'Mione," he addressed her as he'd heard Harry and Ron do many times. "You're entitled to your opinion."

She smiled.

"What're you reading?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, nothing, it's just this book about prehistoric magical creatures."

"By Martin Bartholomew?" he asked, his eyes widening.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR THAT BOOK FOR AGES!" he exclaimed, causing the librarian to look at him sternly and put her finger to her lips in the universal gesture for "shut up".

"You have?" asked Hermione, surprised.

"Can I have it once you're done??? Please?" Oh, Lords, what was becoming of the Malfoy name? He was begging a half-blood to lend him a book!

"Um, sure, Harry."

It took him a moment to realize that he was Harry.

Maybe the mudblood wasn't all bad.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Over the next few days, Hermione and Harry sat together a lot. They read, studied, and sometimes just talked.

Harry and Draco maintained distance to appear normal, but they occasionally got together to try and think of how they could get out of the mess they were in.

Harry was also starting to blend in more with the Slytherins, who had now accepted his new, more accommodating, generous, quiet, inconspicuous, _nice_, non-malicious way.

They tried not to embarrass each other too much anymore, but how could they resist? You only got to be your enemy once, you know.

So they occasionally did stupid things, nothing too serious, or permanent, but very, very stupid.

Draco, the real one, was starting to realize that life in the Gryffindor dorms was so…nice. And warm. Slytherin dorms were fabulously exquisite, but very cold, and hard, and uncomfortable.

He liked sitting in the Gryffindor common room in front of the fire, with Hermione, reading a book.

--

One day in the library…

Harry sat there, in his and Hermione's favourite reading corner thing, of course, reading. He saw Hermione come in the library. She looked livid. He waved to her. Her furious gaze swiveled to him. She went over to him and said "Liar." It was a little more than a whisper, but he heard.

"What?"

"Liar." She repeated a little more loudly. "Were you going to tell anyone, Malfoy?"

He paled. "I…er, Hermione…" he sighed and gave up. "How did you find out?" he asked in a muted tone, staring at his shoes.

She rolled her eyes. "I was shocked I didn't find it out earlier. I was so…stupid. So, so stupid. I actually liked you. Why didn't I guess it that time in the Great Hall, when you said that your number one fan was gone? _Pansy!_ And Harry does not _sing_."

He couldn't help but give a tiny smirk. "I know."

"What?"

He ignored it and said "You like me?"

She froze for a moment. "No." she said. "I liked the 'new' Harry!"

"But that was me. Is me. Just in Harry-er, Potter's body."

"I would like if the new Harry were actually still Harry, not if it was just you in disguise."

"But you _do_ like me." He stated.

"No, I do not!" she was getting agitated.

There was a moment of silence. Then Harry's eyes widened. He toppled over, clutching his stomach in agony. Hermione forgot who he was, and knelt over him. "Malfoy? Malfoy, are you okay?"

"I'm rolling around on the floor in pain, beaver. Take a wild guess." He managed.

She rolled her eyes, but stayed where she was. Harry's black hair was lightening, and so were his eyes and skin. He grew longer, slimmer, and… and…hotter. A lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot hotter. He was now…

Malfoy.

The pain gone, he sat up, crossing his legs casually, and smirked. "Hello, Granger."

She rolled her eyes again.

"It's been nice getting to know you." He said even more casually, his eyes bright, and all seeing. Damn him.

Realization struck her then that she had talked to him about…everything! She'd told him about her life, what was going on, everything! Oh Merlin.

She said icily "I trust you're not really gay, then?"

He appeared to consider it then decisively shook his head. "Nope. I don't fly that side of the Quidditch pitch, really."

She couldn't help but grin.

He grinned too and stood up gracefully and held out a hand to help her up. She eyed it unsurely. He rolled his eyes and said jokingly "I thought we were past all that."

She smiled and accepted his hand. Hmm. It wasn't ice cold like she'd expected it to be. It was warm. He gently pulled her up and then leaned in. Her heartbeat went mad. Was he going to…could he…kiss her? He went right past her lips though, and whispered in her ear "If you tell anyone we're friends, I'm going to impale you with Dobby."

She snorted.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Just then, Harry burst in. He was HARRY AGAIN.

"Harry!" cried Hermione, and hugged him tightly. He hugged back. Draco stood there awkwardly.

"I missed you." He said quietly after he pulled away. She smiled. He turned to Draco. "Malfoy."

"Potter. Thought we were down to first name basis, though."

Harry shrugged. Draco smirked.

Hermione stared at them, looking from Harry to Draco back to Harry. Finally she rolled her eyes at them and muttered "Men. You should be bonded like brothers or something now."

Draco pretended to retch. "My blood is far too rich and pure to be shared with The-Boy-Who-Lived-To-Be-A-Wanker."

Hermione raised her eyes to the heavens. Then saw her watch. "Oh shit."

Draco mock-gasped. "You said a naughty word. Tut-tut. Not at all becoming of one of the Golden Trio."

She glared. "We're late for Transfiguration!" she exclaimed, and promptly grabbed Harry and Draco's wrists and started to drag them along. They ran to prevent their hands from being ripped off.

"You sure know how to pick your friends, Potter." Said Draco highly audibly.

They reached the class just in time. Harry quickly sat down next to Ron and Draco and Hermione found there was only one set of tables left so they sat down together.

McGonagall came in. she said she would be giving back the test papers they had done a few days ago (when Draco and Harry were each other). Draco sniggered. Hermione asked what was it, why was he sniggering. He just shook his head and told her to look at Harry when he got his test papers back.

McGonagall had just handed Harry back his paper at that moment. Harry's jaw dropped. McGonagall gave him a disappointed loo. He turned to Draco, face red. Draco waved cheerfully. Harry pointed a finger at him then slashed it across his throat to say "You are dead."

Draco paid no notice. Hermione was barely restraining her laughter.

"Is something funny?" asked McGonagall.

"No professor," chirruped Draco in an extremely fake model-student way. Well, he was a model student. He topped everything along with Hermione. He also waded around knee deep in swooning girls. Well. He _was_ supremely hot. Like. The epitome of sexiness. But really. Girls didn't have to completely demean themselves by groveling around at his feet.

She continued having thoughts like this for the rest of the lesson, but it was hard to wonder why girls loved him so much when she had an up-close view of him. She could smell his hair. It smelt nice…

She shoved herself away from these thoughts hastily. They did her no good.

--

Draco's POV (well, sorta)

The next morning…

Draco opened his eyes. Morning. He hated it. He arched his back and stretched, before getting up. Now, how could he embarrass Harry this fine morning? (**A/N yes, in his morning daze, he thinks he's still Harry**)

Oooh, how about the Bend 'n Snap? Yes, he had seen Legally Blonde, unfortunately. It had been on a night when it was raining and he was alone and had nothing to do! It was coming on TV!!! Not his fault. Anyway, he was so hot, he could actually pull it off.

He started to bend, until he heard Crabbe's thick voice, like it was filled with mashed potatoes, ask "Have yeh dropped somefin'k Draycow?"

He remembered and internally thanked himself for Crabbe's stupid voice, stopping him from doing unthinkable.

"I cood pick it up phor yeh."

"No, you imbecile. Go away."

Crabbe went off, scratching his head, wondering what imbecile meant.

Draco sighed. Blaise Zabini, his best buddy said "Morning Drake. What's bothering you?"

He would make the perfect bartender. Blaise was, of course too smart for that, but he _had_ taken out a bottle of firewhisky which he was pouring out for both him and Draco.

"Alcohol makes the world go round." Blaise explained. Draco rolled his eyes but grinned.

"Well, see, the thing is, I kind of switched places with Potter in that potions class the other day, and after that we've been doing really weird things to each other. Like I made him declare he was gay."

"So he's not?" Draco shook his head.

"I thought nothing happened in that class?"

"It was after. Then…" he paused dramatically.

"WHAT? What happened? You had sex, didn't you? You and Potter?"

"No, Blaise, we did not have sex."

"Oh." He sounded almost disappointed!

"I met GRANGER."

"You mean Hermione?"

"Yes, Hermione. Who else?"

Blaise ignored that. "So? So what if you met her? It's inevitable, what with her and Potter being the golden trio best buddies and all."

"I like her!"

Blaise's eyes widened. "You mean…like like?"

"No, I haven't known her long enough for that. But maybe. And I definitely like her as a friend."

"There's only one thing to do, Draco." said Blaise decisively.

"What?"

"Have sex."

"WHAT? Dude, your mind is…corrupted."

"I am aware of that, yes."

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Look, Draco, don't have sex. _Fine._ You just…be nice to her?"

This was, for Draco, almost worse than having sex with Hermione. Although he didn't think sex with Granger would be _that_ bad. But. EW.

"I don't know HOW!"

"Don't make snarky comments."

Draco groaned. "They increase my charisma! And boost my self-confidence. I was a very traumatized and stunted child, you know."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Smile. Don't smirk."

"BUT I LOOK SEXY WHEN I SMIRK."

"You do, but still… don't be…a bitch. Or a man-whore."

Draco rolled his eyes. A moment later, he muttered "I suppose I could try that. And I am NOT a man whore."

"Draco, you've had twelve girlfriends at a time before."

"It's so hard to choose!" whined Draco.

"I know. Believe me, I know."

--

"Morning, Hermione," she froze.

And turned. Slowly. She was on her way to class. It was Draco.

"Um, morning, Draco…"

"Where are you headed?"

"Ancient Runes."

"Me too. Wanna go together?"

"Um, sure."

As they walked, she found it amazingly easy to talk to him. "So how're you adjusting back to your normal life?" she asked, grinning.

He grinned back. "Apart from the fact that when I got up today morning, I was about to do the Bend n' Snap? Good."

She snorted. Then burst out laughing. "You watched Legally Blonde?"

"Not my fault. It was coming on that box that I worship."

She snorted. "You're insane."

"I am aware of that, yes." He grinned. Then sobered. "So, are we friends?" he asked uncertainly.

She looked hesitant. What should she say? No? That wasn't entirely true, though. She had liked him a lot more when he was Harry. She made a quick decision. "Yep, we're friends."

The grin on his face was almost of relief. Now he didn't have to know whether to treat her as enemy, mudblood, cold acquaintance or friend. They were friends. It was a start.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

So they went to their next class (Ancient Runes) and learnt stuff about stuff (Ancient Runes, as it happens).

Ron appeared to be having some sort of nervous breakdown when Harry told him what had happened and was responding to everything with a "Bjargle", "Grjenle" or "Blimfhsargle". It was actually quite fun to watch, really.

"Draco, what are you doing?"

"Poking Ron with the pointy end of my ruler."

"Firstly, both ends of rulers are pointy, and secondly, why?"

"To make him talk gibberish again. But I'm trying to make him say it loud enough for the professor to give a start which will start off a complex trap I have created which will eventually result in him dangling off the top of the building, covered in a clever concoction of honey, tar, flour, egg yolk and Snape's deodorant, with Cornish pixies clawing around all over him and a dragon constantly breathing fire at him." he looked smugly at Hermione.

She stared at him, jaw dropped. He sighed. "Don't get started on me, Granger. It's all in good fun. I'm sure he'll laugh about it someday. Besides, it's in my blood."

"I wasn't going to 'get started on you'. I was just going to tell you what a brilliant idea that is. Minus the dragon, of course. And where the heck did you get Snape's deodorant?"

He looked somewhat startled. "Oh. Snape has deodorant with him _everywhere._ Talk about BO."

She giggled. He grinned. She took out her ruler and began to torment Ron as well. Oh, so fun.

--

No luck with the Cornish pixie thing. Unfortunately.

Anyway, he was now fully recovered.

Ron, that is.

--

During dinner…

Girls screamed. Fainted. Heads in pudding and all. It was unbelievable. Gorgeous. Stunning. Where was Michelangelo when this happened?!!

Draco Malfoy.

Wearing jeans.

Falls over and dies drooling. Not a bad way to go, really.

Just then, Hermione turned around and saw him.

Her eyes widened. Her mouth hung open. He caught her eye and smirked. She instantly went into an passive position, clearing her throat and staring resolutely at her plate.

WHY WAS DRACO MALFOY IN JEANS??? It was too undeniably sexy. He was wearing faded jeans with a black T-shirt and black Converse sneakers with a-bit-above-the-ankle tops. Parvati and Lavender were hyperventilating/having seizures/having epileptic fits.

Hermione was on the verge of having any or all of the above at any point in time now.

WHO GAVE HIM THOSE?

Just then, Parvati and Lavender started giggling and whispering amongst themselves about how they'd like to watch him put it on.

Or take it off. Then they speculated about how he slept. As in: naked/pajamas? They hoped it wasn't the latter.

Hermione rolled her eyes. Then thought 'was it normal for any human being to be so incredibly god fuc*ing sexy???'

Probably not.

"I want to rip…" whispered a voice. Oookay. Freakishly like that Basilisk, she thought, a bit creeped out.

"Off all his clothes and give him sex like he's never had before." Finished Lavender.

Hermione shuddered.

She saw Draco looking at her. She grinned and so did he. He mouthed 'What's up?'

She jabbed her thumb to Paravti and Lavender who were shivering with imagined ecstasy and mouthed back "They're insane."

He sniggered.

--

Later on…

"You really shouldn't do that to the poor innocent people."

He shrugged. "Why not?"

"All the girls were dying, having explicit thoughts about you. And when I say explicit, I mean melted chocolate/rose petal spa/honey type explicit."

His eyes widened. She nodded slowly to show him the full meaning of what she'd just said.

"They were all thinking…"

"The same thing."

He shocked her by grinning proudly. "I must be pretty good, then."

Her jaw dropped and she whacked him lightly. "Idiot."

He smirked.

She had to wipe that smirk off his face. "Draco, how do you sleep?"

"As in?"

"Pajamas, or Adam and Eve?"

He turned unbelievable shade of red. "Pajamas. Why?" he muttered.

"Parvati and Lavender are going to be disappointed."

"_What_?"

"Oh, did I mention, they wanted to rip all your clothes off the other day and give you unbelievable sex like you've never had it before."

He turned even redder. Then he paused. "You know, I've never really gone for Gryffindors before. Slytherins yes, Ravenclaws, yes, Hufflepuffs, NEVER, but perhaps I should consider Gryffindors… I mean, if the ladies want it…"

She rolled her eyes.

"Idiot."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Soon enough, the holidays came.

"Hey, Draco,"

"Hullo, 'Mione."

"Are you going home for the holidays?"

"Yeah, my parents have some thing where we're supposed to go to my aunt and uncle's place. Annual. Ugh. They will undoubtedly be subtly bitching with each other. My own _father._" He shuddered.

She giggled. He grinned and asked "You?"

"Yeah, my mom is apparently having some crisis or the other and wants me to go home and prevent her from eating too much ice cream. It's depressing."

He smirked. "Wow, our families are weird."

"Tell me about it." She grinned.

--

Soon enough, they went to the train station. Upon getting on the train, they found an empty compartment where they sat down.

Just then, Blaise Zabini came in. followed by several other Slytherins. Male and female. They sat down and waved at Hermione as though they had known her their whole lives. Draco smirked at her somewhat startled expression.

Time passed faster than she would have imagined. Draco's friends were pretty nice people. Once you got past the whole biased mudblood thing. Hermione actually enjoyed their company.

Once they reached the station, both Draco and Hermione got off. Before parting their separate ways, she hugged him so hard he almost suffocated.

"I'll miss you." She whispered.

"God, you Gryffindors are the touchy feely kind, aren't you? I'll miss you too, 'Mione." he hugged her back. After pulling away, they both waved bye and started walking.

--

She missed him. She admitted it. There. Happy? She missed almost everything about him. Okay, everything. She sighed and rolled over on her bed. She missed his arrogance, his pompousness and self confidence, his smile, his face, his hair, his eyes. She missed his eyes. Silvery gray and magical, they never revealed any emotion unless he wanted them to. And when he wanted, they could be unbelievably cold, cruel and mocking. She could remember when he used to look at her like that. She would generally return the gaze, but her dark brown eyes couldn't generally muster so much hatred towards a person she barely knew, or even, come to think about it, even someone she knew very well.

She took out her copy of A History of Hogwarts. Surely it would make her feel better. This time, though, she couldn't bring herself to properly concentrate on it. Her mind kept wavering. To other things. Being, namely, of course, Draco Malfoy.

Did she like him? As in, like like him?

She didn't think so. How could she? She hadn't even known him that long.

"Hermione? Sweetie?" asked her father, coming in.

"Hey, dad." She said.

"Is something bothering you? You hardly ate a thing at lunch, and I was wondering if you were sick, or something."

"Oh, she wasn't sick, honey, don't be silly. She was just following my advice. You know, when I told her not to eat so much. It's making her fat." Said a high pitched trilly voice. Her step mother.

When her mother died when she was seven, her father had been devastated. So had she. But her dad had married again in the hope that he would feel better if the empty hole in his life would be filled up. He hadn't been expecting it to be filled with cosmetics. Which was precisely what happened when he married Alexis, a complete bimbo who had been living a life of luxury with her parent's trust fund and had no idea how to do anything except apply mascara.

ANYTHING. She always criticized Hermione about being fat, ugly, whatever. Most of the time, Hermione could put up with it. But recently it had started worrying her. Did Draco think she was fat? Probably.

"Pooh bear, maybe I should talk to Hermione."

Her step mom rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and strutted off. Her dad held out his arms for a hug. She fell into his arms, tears suddenly falling out of her eyes. "I want mom." She sobbed.

"I know, honey, so do I." he sighed.

They just sat like that for a while. He asked "What's bothering you?"

"Dad, do you think I'm fat?"

"What? NO! Honey, of course you're not fat! You shouldn't listen to Alexis! She thinks girls shouldn't eat at all. You are not fat. You are the slimmest, prettiest little star of my life. I don't know how I would have coped without you." He said.

If she knew anything about her dad, it was that he never lied. "Thanks, dad." She hugged him again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Soon enough, the hols ended and it was time to go back to school. Hermione wouldn't miss it.

Her stepmom had packed a whole bag full of cosmetics and refused to let Hermione leave without it.

She hugged her dad and kissed her mom on both cheeks without quite touching her, and went onto the station.

Just then, she heard a voice in her ear "Hello, 'Mione."

She spun around to see Draco, who, before she could hug him, swept her suitcases out of her hand and put them in the train. "Jeesh, what've you packed in here? Bricks?"

"Worse. Lipstick."

He snorted. "Do I want to know?"

"No, you really don't."

"Okay then."

He turned to face her and she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Hello, Draco."

He hugged her back briefly before saying "Come on, we're going to miss the train."

She smiled and followed him up.

He held open a train door and bowed "After you, my fair maiden."

"Shut up, idiot."

He sniffed, wounded. "This is how you respond when I'm such a nice gentleman?"

She grinned.

"So how were your hols?" she asked.

"You want the truth?"

"Uh huh,"

"They were awful. My uncle and aunt are apparently…" he paused, looking disgusted.

"Hostile?" she suggested.

"Worse. They're both men."

"Whoa. WHOA. Didn't see that one coming."

"Neither did I. It's usually a different relative each year, but really. BOTH men? And the worst part? My 'aunt' wears dresses."

She started laughing uncontrollably. He folded his arms, pouting. He looked so unbelievably adorable, she could have kissed him. Wait, what?

"So how were your hols?"

"Pretty terrible. My stepmom is horrible." Besides, without you? How could anything be fun?

"Stepmom?"

"Yeah, my mum died when I was seven." She shrugged.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago. I'm over it." She lied.

"Oh. I see."

"Anyway, that suitcase was full of cosmetics she insisted I take. She's constantly telling me I don't wear enough make up." She shrugged.

He sniggered.

"You try wearing make up!"

"Well, my 'aunt' tried to make me watch her…him… apply it." He shuddered. "It was horrible. I don't think I'll ever be the same."

She giggled. He grinned after a moment.

--

The train journey passed fast as they talked about completely random and unimportant things.

Soon enough, they reached Hogwarts.

They got off at the station.

"Wow, I missed this place." He said.

"I _know._ So did I." she replied.  
---

**Okay, peeps, this is where I am sucked dry. My mid year exams are coming close, and I WANT to write, but the problem is all the work is killing me. I have ginormous BAGS under my eyes. ): Well, anyway, when I can spare a few moments, I would be happy to write, but the problem is I have NO clue what to do next. I am, like I said, sucked dry. I would love if any of you had any way I could continue this. THANKS!!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

So Draco and Hermione, along with the rest of the school went for the feast in the Great Hall. Despite being used to the variety of foods by now, they could not help but be amazed at the spread. It seemed even better than ever before.

"You know, I don't think I'll ever get tired of this." Commented Draco.

She smiled. "Me either."

"To think, this is the last time we'll be having a welcome-back-to-Hogwarts feast." **(A/N Yes, this is now their 7****th**** Year)**

"I can't believe it's actually been seven years. It seemed like so much less."

He smiled at her. "I know."

Just then, she saw Harry and Ron waving at her like mad from the Gryffindor table. She grinned. "I think I should go. Ron and Harry seem to want to talk to me."

He grinned back and said "Sure. Bye."

"Bye." She waved before starting off at a jog to reach the table.

"Hi Harry!" she said, smiling at him.

"Hello, 'Mione." His green eyes were brighter than ever. She had missed him.

She sat down next to him and hugged him. He hugged back. He said "I missed you, 'Mione."

"So did I."

Ron cleared his throat loudly.

"Oh, hello Ron!" she said cheerfully.

He rolled his eyes. "About bloody time. Hello, Hermione."

"Um…" she hadn't missed him so she didn't feel like saying it. "It's nice to see you again."

"Same." He muttered.

Harry, thankfully, interrupted. "Let's eat, I'm starving."

She grinned. "Me too."

--

She ran into Draco in the library the next day. "Oh, hi!" she said.

"Hey!" then he smirked. "I knew it was only a matter of time before you would come here." He moved over on the patch of carpet he was sitting on in a gesture that said "Sit."

She did, catching a whiff of him as she sat. He smelt n-i-i-i-i-c-e. Like coffee, and chocolate, and something else that was just amazing. She wondered if she should shake off all these thoughts, but she decided to humor herself. They made her happy. And there was no harm, right? It wasn't like he could…hear them? Right? _Right???_

She rolled her eyes at her insecurity and said "Whatcha doing?"

"Nothing, just reading this Care for Magical Creatures book." He actually looked somewhat abashed. "I feel guilty for not paying attention slash being a complete bastard in those classes." His cheeks were a light pink color.

She smiled, then it turned into a smirk as she moaned theatrically "My arm!!! That _beast_ got my arm!!!" followed by several false groans, as she placed the back of one hand to her forehead and let the other hang limp.

He scowled but looked even more embarrassed. "Oh, come off it."

She smiled and lightly punched his arm. "Don't get your knickers in a wodge."

He looked, if it was possible, about to die of embarrassment. His face was crimson. "Well," he sniffed. "If that's how you're going to be…" he angled himself away from her and pretended to be engrossed in his book.

She instantly felt bad, looking at the pout on his adorable face. "Aww, I'm sorry."

He sniffed again, rather more theatrically this time.

"You know," she remarked, "if all else fails, you could be an actor."

All conflict was instantly forgotten and he spun back around faster than she would have believed possible and said "You know, I've always fancied myself as one. I mean," he looked arrogantly down at her "I have the looks, the charm, charisma, personality, talent, incredible sexiness, gorgeous hair… I could go on."

"I think you forgot the modesty part." She rolled her eyes.

"Now, how did I forget that one?" he grinned. "But," he sobered, "being anything but an Auror or Unspeakable is out of the question for me. My father would kill me and disown me, thus disgracing my corpse. He would also scratch off the 'Malfoy' part from my headstone, effectively severing all ties I may have had with the prestigious name during my life." He sounded completely serious.

She looked at him incredulously. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah." Was that a hint of sorrow and regret she noted in his voice? "But if I have to choose between Auror and Unspeakable, I'd go with Auror."

"Oh. Wait. What about the whole Death Eater thing?" she asked in all innocence.

"I simply refused to be a Death Eater. But my father keeps trying to convince me. That's sort of why I would choose Auror. It's not as close to the government as Unspeakables are."

"Oh."

He smiled ruefully at her obvious discomfort. "If I decided to be a Death Eater, I'd already have the Mark." He raised the sleeves of his arms and showed her his pale, smooth forearms. "It's actually part of the reason my father loathes me so much."

She smiled slightly, and then, as if on impulse, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gave him a half-hug. "It'll be okay, Drake."

"You think so?" he asked, uncertain. She was startled that someone who appeared so confident and self-assured on the outside could be so insecure inside.

"Of course I think so, Draco." she squeezed him tighter, ignoring the rush of adrenaline and endorphins she felt at the contact they were making and the way he smelt (extremely NICE).

He wrapped his arm around the small of her back and hugged her back. She might have died of surprise, and those goddamned hormones…


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Hey, Drake?" asked Blaise Zabini once as they sat in their Slytherin dorm room late at night.

"Yes, my sweet little mushroom pie?" replied Draco, smirking away at Blaise's scandalized expression.

"You're never going to leave me alone about that, are you?"

"Of course not, my precious button!" Blaise's new girlfriend, Demitri Eola, from Slytherin, had taken to giving him nicknames such as 'Sweet Little Mushroom Pie'.

Draco, much to Blaise's chagrin, had caught the honey-brown-haired, blue-eyed beauty calling him all those nicknames, and Draco had just not squeezed out all the fun from it as he possibly could have.

Well, when he said 'beauty', he meant it in general terms, really. Draco didn't _fancy_ her. For three reasons actually. No, wait, make that four.

One, it would be completely bitchy (yes, let's face it, bitchy) to steal a man's girlfriend.

Two, Blaise was his _friend._ You just don't _do_ that to a friend. It would be awful and make even the most mean spirited people feel guilty, and Draco had confessed to himself a long time ago that he was not the most mean spirited person out there.

Three, Demitri wasn't really his type. She was nice and all, but she was… well, she just wasn't his _type. _Period. At least she wasn't a bimbo, like Blaise's ex. Exes.

And four, he had been fancying someone else for quite a while now as much as it pained him to admit it because he was reasonably sure that his feelings would not be mutual.

"Anyway, what is it you wanted to ask, peach cake?" asked Draco.

Blaise seemed unwilling to change the topic, even though it was one he had started in the first place. "Well, have you done it yet?" suddenly, his voice was excited.

"What? Done what?" asked Draco, completely clueless.

"You know! With Hermione?" he sounded anxious.

"Done what with Hermione?" Draco was still clueless.

"It!! Have you Done It with her? Like I told you to?"

Draco turned a bright red. "NO! Besides, you didn't tell me to do _that! _You told me to be nice!"

Blaise rolled his eyes at Draco's apparent naivety. "That was BEFORE. When you weren't exactly friends. But _now_…"

"I can't have _sex_ with her! We're just friends!"

"That's why there is something called 'casual sex'." Said Blaise, sounding exasperated.

"Besides," Draco ignored him. "I don't even know how to… you know."

Blaise's jaw dropped.

Understanding that Blaise had misinterpreted him, Draco hastened to say "I mean, I know _how_ it's _done_. But…I've never _done_ it. So I don't know if I'm any good at it."

"YOU'VE NEVER DONE IT? THAT'S EVEN WORSE THAN NOT KNOWING HOW IT'S DONE!" yelled Blaise. Then realization appeared to sink in. "You mean…you're a _virgin_?" he spat out the word as though it were an insult.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Thus the statement 'I've never done it'."

Blaise stammered something incoherently.

Draco was starting to worry. What if he was the only virgin in the Slytherin? In the _school_? Oh, the shame! It was worse because he was the biggest flirt in Hogwarts. He had a brief mental pause. Had _Hermione _ever had sex? His eyes widened. Oh Merlin.

"You must be the only virgin in the _school_!" exclaimed Blaise.

"You're not helping, Zabini." He only called Blaise 'Zabini' when he was starting to panic.

"Okay, don't worry. All you have to do is get a random girl, which shouldn't be too hard, and just seduce her. Use ALL the tricks in the book, and you're guaranteed to lose your _virginity_ in less than two hours."

"I'm not having sex with any random person!" cried Draco. "I want to…"

Blaise asked in horror "Save yourself?" Draco nodded, looking miserable.

"Dude, that's weird. Why would you want to save yourself when you can have sex with ANYONE you want? It's like that girly crap where they go on about their precious flower or something."

Draco looked at him weirdly. "I'm not talking to you about this anymore."

Blaise shrugged and grinned. "Your loss."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Draco decided to ponder his current predicament in the kitchens, surrounded by house elves, who wouldn't pressure him to have sex with random people.

"What can Tinky bring you, Master Draco?" asked a house elf, looking up at him with her wide eyes.

"Um, it's just Draco. And could you please bring me a cappuccino with..um, whipped cream, and chocolate powder and caramel. And one of those long chocolate wafer things."

Tinky nodded "Coming up, Mas-er, Draco." she scampered off.

Just then, Dobby came up and sat down next to Draco, uncharacteristically. "Hello, Dobby." He said.

"Hello, Master Draco. Dobby notices that Masters is not looking well. Is Masters okay?" Draco smiled inwardly. He liked the new Dobby, that talked to people freely, about things other than what he could do for them.

"Well, Dobby, no, I'm not really okay."

Dobby looked up at him, big eyes concerned. "What is wrong, Master?"

"Well, first of all I'm being pressured to have sex with a random person to get rid of the label 'Only Virgin Left in Slytherin' which is just so embarrassing, but I still don't really want to go have sex with any random person just like that, you know?

"But I can't tell Blaise that because he would say that saving yourself is womanly crap, and I don't know if it is, but if it is, than that brings up the question: Am I gay? I don't think I am, but isn't it weird to still be a virgin? The _only_ virgin in Hogwarts?

"And apparently, not having Done It is even worse that not knowing _how_ it's done. So I suppose I'm right at the bottom of the pile of virgins. Which is just _wrong._ Because I am a hot person and I have had more girlfriends than I've had coffees, which is _really_ saying something.

"And now I'm confessing all my woes to a _house elf_, which just shows how low I've sunk, no offense." He said in one long rushed breath.

Dobby looked flabbergasted. "Er, well, Master… Umm." Just then, another house elf called to Dobby, sounding impatient.

Dobby actually looked grateful to not have to respond to Draco's awkward speech. "Dobby must go." With that, he dashed off.

"Wow, I didn't know guys fretted as much about sex as girls did." Said an amused sounding voice behind him. He froze and turned slowly to see—who else?—Hermione.

_Of all the goddamn people!_ He thought, scowling inwardly.

Outside, however, he gave an apologetic grimace and asked "How much did you hear?"

"Everything." She said, grinning.

He dropped his head onto the table with a loud thud. "OW." He said and lifted it, before dropping it again, much more gently this time.

"You know, you're not the only virgin in the school. I know tonnes of virgins." She said, trying to sound reassuring.

"Are any of them in Slytherin? Or MALE?"

"Er, Harry?" she suggested, but he moaned. "Oh Merlin. I'm on the same level as _Potter._ I feel so much better." He said sarcastically.

She smiled. "Yes, I suppose that could be rather distressing. But you're not gay, Draco. I mean, the fact that you're a virgin, or that you don't want to just have sex with anyone doesn't make you gay.

"It makes you sweet." She said, smiling slightly, but looking a bit pink. _And incredibly hot._ But she didn't say that out loud_._

"Really?" he asked, sounding almost hopeful. "So I won't lose all my fans?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, you won't. I don't know why women degrade themselves by swooning around your ankles all day long."

He shrugged matter-of-factly. "When you have a hot, sexy body like mine, how can you really blame anyone?"

She rolled her eyes at his arrogance and whacked him lightly. Just then, his cappuccino came. Hermione's eyes widened. "Wow." She whispered.

He grinned after taking a sip and offered her the cup. She refused at first but he rolled his eyes and said "Oh, just take it, would you?" so she did. It was amazing.

So, like that, they shared the cappuccino and savored it.

--

As they drank, they chatted about absolutely everything. Which was odd, seeing as they already knew almost everything about one another, and by right should have nothing to talk about.

But they had so many things to discuss! It was unbelievable. There was hardly a gap between any two topics they talked about.

It was never like this with Harry or Ron, thought Hermione. Well, she could talk to Harry, but there was always an awkward pause as they both brainstormed for a random topic to fill the silence.

Even so, the silences between their conversations was a comfortable one, and Hermione enjoyed spending time with Harry and considered him a very close friend, maybe even a brother.

With Ron, however, she shuddered at the thought. Ron was, she had concluded from the few times she had had the misfortune of having to talk to him, the most self-centered, narcissistic, egoistical, biased, xenophobic, sexist pig she had ever met. And he _generalized_, in the most annoying way.

For example, if one Hufflepuff was rather dim, they were all dim. Period. It was absolute rubbish.

He only ever talked about himself, and it was absolutely awful! She hated it!

But with Draco, she smiled inwardly, and almost had her insides melt at the thought.

He was so funny, and interesting! He had so many interesting views on things but he never only talked about himself. He always listened to what she had to say! Attentively, too.

The few times he made remarks about him being the sexiest man in the world were only jokes, she knew. And they were funny. Especially since she kind of found him _the_ sexiest man alive. That was why she loved spending time with Draco.


	13. Chapter 13

Hey, peeps. I know you're all used to somewhat humorous chappies, but just a little warning, this one is more serious. Well, a lot more serious. I actually feel it's pretty sucky, so I'm going to make some changes to it now (before I publish it). Anyway, I had to find a way for Draco to express how much he LURVES Hermione, right? So please don't flame me. :(

Editing done! Wheee! I took out a bucket-load of crap. XD Anyhoo, enjoy! And thanks for all the reviews for all the previous chappies! I feel so special!!! (:

**Chapter 13**

After that night in the kitchen with Draco, Hermione went back to her room and slept peacefully.

The next day, she and Draco made plans to meet in the Room of Requirement to celebrate the end of their exams by having an all you can watch movie fest.

Yes, DVDs worked in the Room of Requirement.

Hermione floated around Hogwarts as she went for all her classes in a happy way. She had fallen hard for him.

When her free period finally came, she made her way to the Room of Requirement. When she was almost there, she passed a deserted corridor.

It gave her the chills every time she passed it but she told herself not to be stupid. It was the only way to get to the Room of Requirement.

Just then, as if out of nowhere, Ron popped up. "Oh, hello, Ron." She said, offering a tiny, cautious smile.

"Hermione." He sounded nervous and looked fidgety, and his face was pink.

"Erm, what's up?" she asked, since something obviously appeared to be up, as he was standing right in her way.

She wondered if it would be ride to sidestep him, because she wanted to get to the Room of Requirement as fast as possible.

"Look, Hermione, an action speaks a thousand words, right?"

"Er, I suppose so. Why?" she was starting to get nervous. His tone was creeping her out. And the way his eyes looked wild. And somewhat crazy. She shuddered.

"Then there's something I need to tell you." And with that, he grabbed her face and pulled her to him and covered her mouth with his. It was absolutely revolting!

His mouth was slimy and hot and wet and she felt like throwing up. She put her hands on his shoulders and tried to pull away, but he had obviously gotten stronger, as she could tell from his iron grip on her.

He started feeling her all over, and she wanted to hit him, to kill him, something!

She let out a small scream, but it was lost in his grip. She tried to reach for her wand, but she found he had snatched it from her robe pocket.

He _knew_ she didn't want this! She thought furiously. This was flat-out assault. Just then, she heard a quiet, but livid sounding spell, which she couldn't decipher.

Ron flew away from her and landed on the other side of the corridor, banging his head against the wall. She looked up to see Draco, and almost melted with relief.

He didn't look at her yet. "Accio wand." He said. Her wand came flying out from Ron's pocket and into his hand. She stumbled over to him and he handed it to her wordlessly, still not looking at her. Taking it from him with one hand, she scrubbed her wet mouth with the other, trying to remove all traces of Ron.

Instead, he stared at the crumpled figure of Ron with an expression she had never seen before. It was pure rage and hatred. Anger like she had never seen before.

His silver eyes had become so cold and so furious that she actually felt scared, even though she was reasonably sure his anger wasn't directed towards her. His fists were clenched and his slim figure was rigid.

"Get up." He said to Ron. He couldn't have sounded more angry if he had yelled.

Ron, shaking, with fear, or fury, Hermione didn't know. His hair had fallen over his eyes unattractively, masking most emotion. "Come on, Malfoy, she wanted it too, you know." He laughed nervously.

Without speaking, Draco punched him in the face, hard. Hermione heard a loud crack that coincided with Ron's stumbling back and clutching his nose and screaming "He broke it!!"

Draco looked, if it was possible, even more angry. "If she wanted it, why did you take away her wand?" he asked quietly.

Of course, Ron had no response to that.

"If you ever, _ever_ so much as _touch_ Hermione again, I swear, I will kill you. I will murder you without a second thought. Do you understand?"

Whimpering, Ron nodded. Draco looked

"Draco," Hermione said quietly. He tilted his head slightly to the right without turning his body, to show that he was listening. "Don't bother," she continued. "He's not worth it."

Ron had held up his hands in front of his face to protect it and he looked so pathetic Hermione wanted to hit him, and she wasn't normally so violent.

Draco looked back at Ron again. A few seconds passed. Draco sighed and turned around to face her.

Almost inaudible, he asked "Are you okay?" his eyes softened and no longer looked so angry or cold. Behind him, Ron scampered away. Draco paid no attention to him, even though Hermione was reasonably sure he knew.

She nodded. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She in turn wrapped her arms around his neck, and whispered 'Thank you'.

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. He smelt as nice as she remembered. She felt jolts of electricity rushing up and down her entire body.

"I was so angry. I could have killed him, Hermione. I_ wanted _to." He whispered into her hair. She nodded into his shoulder. She didn't think one could actually feel anything stronger for another person that she was feeling for Draco now.

Pulling away, he smiled slightly. "Are we still on for the movie marathon?" he asked, instantly lightening the mood. His previously storm gray-silver eyes had returned to their normal bright shade.

She nodded, smiling. "Yep."

He grinned and she kissed his cheek before they went off to the Room of Requirement.

--

Hey guys!! I know it probably seems like complete crap, but trust me: it was a LOT worse before. Ugh. Good thing I actually read most of the shtick I write to make sure it isn't THAT bad. Anyhoos, I've actually injected actual FLUFFY FLUFF in here for the first time, and there's a lot more to come, so I hope you enjoy it! Also, a little question: should I end it in the next chapter because it's getting too draggy or something, or should I do some more chappies? Hey, anything's fine with me. But please don't blame me if it's completely stupid. It is, as you all know, summer, and the HUMIDITY in Singapore is killing me, thus making me irritable. :( Plus I'm drinking ten times more water. Which makes me need to pee more. Speaking of which…


	14. Chapter 14

Hey everyone!!! I just want to say to EVERYONE who has read and taken time to review: THANK YOU SO MUCH!! You've really made my day and motivated me to keep going! Anyway, here's another chappie, so I won't keep you from it. Once again, THANKS!

**Chapter 14**

So they went to the Room of Requirement where they—just as they'd intended—stepped into an awesome room with carpets and air conditioning and a monster flat-screen HD LCD TV that glowed in a corner. There were neat stacks of DVDs next to it and even a popcorn machine nearby! Extra-extra-buttered, as Hermione could see.

"Come on," said Draco, smiling at her in a way that made her want to screw the whole movie plan and just kiss him. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the squishy-looking sofa that lay a small distance away from the TV.

"What're we gonna watch?" she asked as they both knelt next to the piles of DVDs.

Draco picked up the first DVD, which was when Hermione noticed his split knuckles. "Draco!" she exclaimed and winced inwardly. She knew Draco couldn't have broken Ron's nose without hurting himself in the process. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

He jerked his head up in surprise. "What?"

"Your hand!" she said and took his hand gently, being careful not to touch the wound. She knew how much split knuckles could hurt.

"Oh." He looked a bit embarrassed.

"I didn't realize you'd hurt your hand! I just—there was so much blood, and Ron was making the most noise! I thought it was all his!"

Draco sniggered. "It's not like it hurts anymore; no worries." He said, feeling as though Hermione was apologizing. _For whatever reason. _

"My God, are you kidding? It's _bleeding_."

Draco shrugged. He felt somewhat uncomfortable under so much scrutiny. He could just imagine what his father would say if he had seen him…(perish the thought) _shrugging._

Come to think of it, he wondered what his father would say if he saw him in Hermione's company. Damn, he'd changed a lot from that extremely sexy bastard he'd been just a while ago.

Not to say that he wasn't extremely sexy anymore. He knew he was, and he informed Hermione of it, regularly. It was just the bastard part. For one thing, he was hanging around with a muggle-born. For another, he hadn't announced his sexiness in the hall like he used to.

"Come 'ere. Lemme help you." He hadn't noticed Hermione getting gauze and antiseptic solution from a conveniently located first aid closet nearby.

She dabbed the antiseptic on his hand gently, and he tried not to wince despite the burning. She apologized again, but he dismissed it by shaking his head.

While she was bandaging his hand, he noticed—not for the first time—how beautiful Hermione was. He looked at her warm, brown eyes and her fragrant hair and the sweet look of concentration she had on her face so as not to hurt him, and was overcome with a feeling which he could not really identify at first. It was, he realized, one of fondness and affection.

And curiosity. He wondered what it would be like to kiss her. He started to lean in towards her…

And then pushed that completely stupid thought out of his head.

--

It was then he noticed Hermione looking at him oddly. "Are you okay?"

"Um, yes? Just a little…er. Light headed. Yes, that's it." He appeared to be pleased with himself.

"I thought you told me you were okay?" she sounded accusing.

He rolled his eyes. "Well, I couldn't possibly ask you to send me to a hospital."

Her eyes widened. Good lord, she thought he was serious. "You want me to take you to a hospital? It's that bad? Oh, Merlin, Draco, why'd you hit him, then?" on impulse, she grabbed him by the shoulders and hugged him.

He almost suffocated, but hugged back. "I'm fine, Hermione. Really."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. You know, I don't think my own mother would have fussed over me so much." He added.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "That wasn't an insult." He assured her.

She rolled her eyes and grinned and returned to bandaging him. "Idiot."

"It's why you love me," he quipped and grinned.

_I do love you._ "Oh, shut it." She said instead. She didn't think it would be too socially acceptable to confess her love for him just then.

He would probably ask if _she _felt she needed to go to the hospital. She inwardly rolled her eyes. She was absolutely mental.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

So they chose a movie (no, it was not a horror flick) and watched it. The movie progressed as they shoveled popcorn down their face.

Hermione commented during a completely lame part "You know, I really shouldn't be eating so much popcorn." With that, she shoved the bowl into a somewhat surprised Draco's hands.

"What're you talking about?" he asked. "It's just popcorn."

"Loaded with butter." She said matter-of-factly. Jeesh. Her stepmom was starting to get to her.

"Hermione… are you by any chance," he hesitated "dieting?"

"What? No!"

"Then why are you bothering about popcorn?" he asked.

She paused, considering it. Then shrugged. "I dunno. Maintaining standards with the rest of the girls in this school, I suppose."

He laughed incredulously. She was irritated somewhat. "What? What's wrong with that? Anyway, I need to lose weight." She let that last sentence slip by accident.

He stopped laughing. "Hermione, you're not fat, if that's what you think."

She turned red. "I'd like to hear one of your exes saying that."

He winced. She had a point. Although Hermione had an extremely slim and petite figure, the girls he'd dated before were truly, truly anorexic.

"Look at Pansy," she continued, using his silence to her benefit.

"The only reason she doesn't eat is because liposuction doesn't last forever, especially with the way _she_ eats."

She couldn't help it. A small giggle escaped. He grinned. "Those girls I've dated were…to put it kindly, 'unhealthy'." He said.

Then he handed her back the bowl of popcorn. "Eat." She grinned and dug her hand in the bowl as the movie continued.

--

Soon they got bored of watching movies, and discovered a foosball table. "I could beat you at foosball any day of the week." Hermione stated.

"Oh yeah? Well, I say _I_ could beat you any time I wanted!" there was an awkward pause. "If I knew what foosball…was."

She burst out laughing. He turned pink and poked her, annoyed. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Oi. Stop laughing. Granger! I'm serious."

"Okay, okay." She said, struggling to maintain her composure.

With that, she explained foosball to him, but she made the mistake of telling him it was just like mini-football, which was when he demanded to know what football was, which was when she made the mistake of telling him that the beloved sport was similar to Quidditch, which was when he demanded to know where the Quaffles, Bludgers and Snitch was.

She rolled her eyes and said "The point is that the ball has to go in the goal. End of story."

He sniggered.

--

She hated herself for loving him so much. Couldn't she appreciate what she already had with Draco and be done with all these 'like-like' type feelings?

They were clearly not returned, so why just cause herself pain? She was being stupid. And if she pushed that stupidity, she might ruin their friendship.

Gah. She was so frustrated. She looked across the foosball table at Draco, who was carefully mastering the controls, and getting better and better at it. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration and he looked simply adorable.

He looked up briefly when he felt her gaze on him. "What?" he asked.

She smiled, feeling guilty inside, and to cover she said "Nothing. You're getting better."

He smiled, his face glowing. "I know. It's just my awesome skill to pick up new skills."

She rolled her eyes.

He grinned.

She almost melted.

This. Was. Not. Good.

For anyone! How could it be possibly good for her, or him? For her, liking him like _that_ just made it harder for her to spend time with him as a friend! Which was probably all Draco wanted to be with her.

She sighed, accidentally. Draco heard and asked, concerned "You okay, 'Mione?"

_I'm bloody in love with you, Draco! How did I fall in love, with someone, you, who I _hated_ not too long ago? What's wrong with me? And the fact that you don't like me like _that_ just makes this harder. I'm ruining our friendship, and I can't even stop myself! Why can't I just appreciate you for the wonderful, funny, smart, kind(-ish), _arrogant_ person that you are? _What is _wrong_ with me?

"Hermiiiiiione?" he stretched out her name, waving his hand in front of her face. "Are you _okay_?" he repeated.

"Oh. Um. Yes." She laughed nervously. She prayed to GOD Draco couldn't read minds. He looked at her curiously, so she took that as a good sign. _But it could be a bad one, too, if he's wondering whether or not he should have you committed to a hospital. _

She inwardly rolled her eyes at herself. She was going mad inside her own head! Looking at him again, she couldn't help but think, _There should be a law against a guy being that perfect._


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Hermione sat by the lake, reading a book, though her mind kept wandering to other things. 'Other things' being, obviously, Draco.

Although the fact that her book was obscenely boring might have contributed to her lack of attention span. And the nice weather might have helped.

She was steadfastly reading, armed with a fierce determination to finish the damned thing. It was a bad characteristic of hers. Once she started a book, she had to finish it or she wouldn't be able to do anything else.

She really was her stepmother's worst nightmare, borrowing a ton of books during the hols and not doing any of the girly girl things her stepmom wanted her to.

It gave her unimaginable pleasure, though she was not normally one to take pleasure from the pain of others. It just wasn't like her.

Just then, a voice behind her commented "Wow, Granger, you must _really_ be bored." Draco plopped himself down on the grass next to her, his arms full of books. "I read that book, and almost died after two pages."

She grinned. "Nice to see you, too."

He grinned back. She asked "When did you read this?" she shook the thing violently, as though hoping to shake all the ink out of its pages so she wouldn't have to force herself to read it anymore.

"A while back. It bored me sick." He made a face. She said "I can relate to that."

He smiled at her. Her heart fluttered. She couldn't help but think that he looked a lot hotter when he smiled.

Granted, he was undeniably sexy when he grinned, or smirked, but when he smiled, as in for real, she really, really thought he looked hottest.

"Why are you reading it, if you find it so boring?" he asked.

She repeated what she'd previously been thinking by saying "I can't stop until I've finished a book. So even if I start a completely God-awful book, I have to finish, or I won't think of anything else for days." She made a face.

He grinned. "Whoa. I don't know how you manage that."

"It helps at home, if I want to annoy my stepmother."

He smirked. "What would she rather you did?"

"Go to parties, sew stuff for I-don't-know-what, watch mindless drama shows. She actually tried to send me to a Playboy-type party once.

"And they have a specific dress code: bunny costumes. And I do _not _mean the innocent bunny rabbits.

"I mentioned that you have to be twenty-one to go, but she told me she would get me in, by hook or crook, using her 'connections'."

His smirk grew more pronounced. "Did you go?"

"To the party? No, my dad convinced her it was inappropriate, thank Merlin."

She rolled her eyes. "There's crossing the line, and then there's using the line as a starting point for a two hundred mile marathon."

He grinned. "Nice one."

She grinned back. "Thank you."

There was silence, but it was a comfortable one. Just then, Harry walked over.

"Hello, 'Mione, Draco." he greeted them pleasantly. "May I sit?"

"Hi Harry, and sure." Hermione said.

Draco said hi too, managing to sound somewhat civil. He didn't _mind_ Harry, Hermione would even go so far as to call them friends (of sorts) even though they would bluntly deny the scurrilous (according to Draco) 'accusation', but Draco seemed to like making fun of every Gryffindor with the exception of Hermione (but he still teased her occasionally).

Harry sat down next to Hermione. "What's up, Harry?"

"Oh, nothing, I just thought it's been a while since I saw either of you, and, well," he looked embarrassed. "I kind of missed you."

Hermione gave him a half hug. "Oh, Harry that's sweet."

"I am not entirely sure how to respond in a situation like this," began Draco calmly "but I don't think you would appreciate it much if I responded in a manner similar to Hermione's. So. Forgive me if I don't…er, touch you."

Harry grinned, "Thanks."

Draco grinned back.

--

Once again, another day began with the annoying voice of Severus Snape. **(A/N Look familiar?)**

Draco sat, bored out of his wits, absent mindedly stirring air around in his cauldron with a quill, his head on the table, resting near the crook of his elbow. He considered faking a heart attack to get out of the class. Or maybe a stroke. Hmm.

Next to him, Hermione sat, just as bored out of her wits. She was doodling on the parchment on which she was supposed to be taking notes. She drew a stick figure of Snape, with a speech bubble above his head that said 'Blah, blah, blah'.

Draco saw, and he sniggered. She blushed. He dipped his quill in his ink pot and reached over her arm to the paper—managing to make her heart beat speed up to a dangerous rate—and drew on a mustache.

She almost couldn't control her laughter. She added on a beard, and Draco drew tiny insects sticking out from all that hair, to represent Snape's lack of hygiene.

She put Snape into a skirt with polka dots, and Draco turned it into an apron, with flowers before adding high heels, with a look of childish innocence (although he was really a holy terror) with his chin resting on the back of his hand which was on the table.

He was so close to Hermione, she could feel his breath on her, and her heart almost exploded into her stomach, which was twisting itself into knots as well. Was this what love did to a person? She couldn't help but think it wasn't entirely unpleasant but it would be nice if she didn't have to bottle it up.

Then he added on a Mrs. Sprout stick figure, who everyone knew Snape had a crush on. Hermione smiled and drew birds and bees around them. Draco smothered a laugh.

"Is there something you would like to share with the class, Ms Granger, and Mr. Malfoy?" asked Snape, his whiny voice piercing their little reverie.

Draco jerked his head up—to Hermione's disappointment—and said in synchrony with Hermione "No Professor,"

But Draco's chair was still angled towards hers and hers towards him.

"What're you writing?"

"Nothing, Professor, just notes."

"Yes, Granger here," he rolled his eyes (for the sake of the lie, of course) as if making a private joke with Snape, who smirked "hasn't a clue about, er," he glanced at his book, "aging potions, and I was just showing her the basics."

"Hmm." Was all Snape said, as he narrowed his eyes, knowing that he couldn't very well inquire as to why Draco was bothering to help the mudblood in front of the whole class.

Hermione nodded in agreement to what Draco had said. Snape rolled his eyes and continued his lecture. Hermione and Draco sighed in relief.

'Thanks,' she wrote on the paper next to Mrs. Sprout's head.

'For what?' he wrote back, and grinned at her. She grinned back.

--

"Oh my GOD, Hermione!!!" squealed Ginny.

"Oh, hello, Gin. Where have you _been_? I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Oh I've been around." She replied with a cheeky grin. "I think you've just been, ah, _busy._" She said, very subtly jerking her gaze towards Draco, who stood next to Hermione, looking somewhat surprised at Ginny's statement.

Turning to Draco, Ginny suddenly became shy, and very pink in the face. "Hello, Draco," she said, with a small wave.

"Hey, er, Ginny, right?" he asked, somewhat uncertain. She nodded, looking as though she was having a heart attack.

"Hermione, sweety," Hermione looked weirded out. Ginny never called her Sweety before. Well, okay, maybe she had, but Draco WAS HERE this time.

"Yes, Gin?"

"I need to talk to you. Draco, you don't mind if I, er,_ borrow _Hermione for a while, do you?"

"Um, no." he shrugged. "See you later, 'Mione."

"Bye," replied Hermione, trying to say with her eyes 'Save me!' She knew Draco had interpreted it correctly, because he smirked, but he waved innocently and walked off.

Now Hermione was in the clutches of the psychotic Ginny. Oh, she was screwed.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"Hermione!!" cried Ginny.

"What?" asked Hermione, somewhat alarmed when Ginny dragged her to the Room of Requirement and slammed the door shut behind them and locked it.

Effectively shutting them alone into a living room type area with bean bags, and ice cream vending machines and lots and lots of girly magazines, also managing to scare Hermione out of her wits.

"YOU'RE DATING _THE_ DRACO MALFOY!?? AND YOU DIDN'T TELL _ME_?"

"Okay, Ginny, number one, there is no 'the' in front of his name that I know of," she said hypocritically. She had often thought of Draco Malfoy as _the_ Draco Malfoy.

"Number two, we are _not_ dating," _though I wish we were_ "and number three, if we _were," which I wish so badly we were "_I would be the _first _person to tell you and you know that."

Ginny narrowed her eyes. "Okay…but Hermione, you love him, don't you?"

_Of course I do! Can't you see that? Oh, wait, she can. That's why she asked. Huh. _

"Um, no, Gin, we're friends," _though I wish so badly we were _more.

"Hermione, you bitch, don't lie to me. I've seen the way you look at him." Of course, Ginny said the word in a loving manner and wasn't trying to _insult_ Hermione or anything.

Hermione sighed. Ginny was too perceptive in matters of the heart. "Okay, Ginny, but you can't tell _anyone_. I'm completely head over heels in love with him! I become so stupid every time I see him, I'd walk into the mouth of a volcano if he asked me to, that's how far gone I am."

Ginny's eyes widened and she turned pink and a tiny smile crept across her face before she emitted a tiny squeal. "I KNEW IT! Oh my god, Hermione! You DO love him! Oh, that is just so adorable! I could just melt!"

Hermione said, completely seriously, "And so could I, every time I see that undeniably gorgeous face of his."

Ginny looked puzzled. "Face? Who cares about face when he has that _butt_? Oh my god, I could stare at that thing for HOURS and not get bored."

Hermione blushed. Ginny giggled in delight at the situation. "Oh Hermione, you really love him?"

"Yes, Gin, I do, but he doesn't love me back! I'm so sure that I'm just going to ruin our friendship!"

"Oh 'Mione, sweetheart, don't say that! He loves you, you know that!"

"No I don't know that, Gin. In fact, the two things I do now right now are that he doesn't love me and I'm completely mental."

"'Mione, you're not sure of that! He does love you!"

"How can you be so sure, Ginny?"

"I'm a third person!" Ginny said it as though it were obvious. "I can see the way you interact, and he does NOT interact with you in a way that just screams 'I only want to be friends'. It's in his eyes. I know he loves you too."

Even though Hermione knew Ginny was just being kind, a tiny glimmer of hope filled her. Ginny was good at things like this, but she still couldn't make herself believe it.

"Ginny, you're just saying that."

"No, Hermione, I'm not! I swear on Harry's head, I'm not!"

Wow.

Hermione knew how much Harry meant to Ginny and almost took that as a confirmation that Draco _did_ in fact like her in the way she liked him, but then she realized how stupid she was being.

"Oh Ginny!" she wailed. "I don't think he does like me as much!"

Ginny looked at her in a way that was almost…pitying. She didn't want anyone to feel sorry for her! She just wanted to wallow in her own sad world…

It became apparent that she'd said that out loud when Ginny slapped her in the face. "What's wrong with you!?" she demanded in a way that would have put many a drill sergeant to shame.

"Snap out of it, and get OVER yourself."

Hermione was shocked.

"You are a _feminist_ and you will NOT under ANY circumstances let a MAN screw up your life. Despite the fact that the man in question is one, incredibly sexy piece of ass."

"GINNY!" cried Hermione, scandalized. Although, he was one unbelievably sexy piece of ass. Though she would never EVER phrase it like _that._

"What?" asked Ginny innocently. "He is." There was a pause. "Oh. Right. He's yours. Got it."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up. He's not mine." _Though I'd like him to be. _

"Look, I'm sure, when the time comes, he'll come out with it. You know men. Always scared to show their feelings. The really perfect ones are gay. And they're always the most well-groomed and dressed. But they don't like women." She sighed theatrically, in a way that would put many a Shakespearean actress to shame. "Such a waste." She murmured.

"So I shouldn't do anything?" asked Hermione, ignoring the whole gay thing.

"NO!!!" exclaimed Ginny with gusto. "Men don't like women to appear superior to them. Or stronger or braver. That's why we've devised subtle organizational skills that enable us to manage their lives—and finances—effectively and well, and make them think they're doing it all. It's not very rewarding," another sigh, "but what can we do?"

"Gin, can I ask where you're getting all this?"

"Oh, easy. This magazine." She hopped over to the stack of magazines and picked out one called 'Teen Glam'. On the cover was written in huge letters "HOW TO GET MEN: LIFE'S TOUGHEST QUESTIONS ANSWERED" on top of a half naked teenage actress. Well. More than half naked. Maybe three quarters.

"It's a life saver. I learnt EVERYTHING about men and fashion and makeup and personal grooming from here."

"I see." Said Hermione, somewhat creeped out by the loving gaze Ginny was showering the magazine with.

"Well," began Ginny defensively "it helped me advise you on how to handle your situation with Draco! At least now you have a clear set of rules on what you should do."

Hermione had to admit it: Ginny was right. Now she could DO something: which, in this case, happened to be ensuring that she did absolutely nothing. But still.

"Thanks, Gin. It's so good to have a girlfriend with whom I can talk about this stuff to."

Ginny smiled. "Same, 'Mione."

And for the first time in a while, Hermione felt better.


	18. Chapter 18

YAY! I finally figured out how to make them kiss!!! WHOO. Oops. Okay, never mind, read on and you shall find out. :D PS, thanks for the REVIEWS!!

**Chapter 18**

Hermione and Draco sat in their corner of the library like they did almost every day.

They were seated shoulder to shoulder, their legs folded into their chests.

They both held books and were engrossed, though small parts of them were aware that they were sitting really, really close together.

Although part of the reason they sat so close together was that the library was freezing.

Something had gone wrong with the heating and even magic couldn't help, so all the library goers had bundled up like marshmallows.

Both Draco and Hermione had worn coats, and Draco had brought a spare scarf, just in case, which was in his bag.

Despite being huddled so close together, Draco still felt somewhat cold and he could sense Hermione did, too.

So he took out his scarf, which was navy in colour, and wrapped it around his _and_ Hermione's neck, wordlessly.

He tightened it slightly, but not too much. Hermione looked up in surprise and turned her head towards Draco, whose face was much closer to hers than she'd anticipated.

She smiled. "Thanks."

He smiled back. "You're welcome, 'Mione." He replied.

Managing to snuggle in even closer to him, and feeling much warmer, instantly, though it might not just have to do with the scarf now wound around her and Draco's necks, she returned to her book.

--

Soon, the number of people in the library started to dwindle. But Hermione and Draco sat in the same spot, neither wanting to ever move, reading.

"Draco, what time is it on your watch?" she asked, staring at her own, which she assumed was inaccurate. He glanced at his watch and said "10.30pm. Whoa. We should probably go now."

"Uh huh."

Almost reluctantly, they removed the scarf from their necks and started to pack up. Once they were ready, they walked out of the library. The halls were completely deserted.

Draco walked Hermione to the Gryffindor dorm as they talked about the books they had read.

When they reached the Gryffindor dorm, they stopped and faced each other. "This was really fun." Said Hermione, smiling.

He smiled back. "It was."

Without thinking, she leaned up and kissed him, lightly, on the lips.

He was startled, to say in the least. When she pulled away, though, he placed his hand on the side of her face and gently pulled her closer, and kissed her again, longer this time. Her hands were on his chest, from which they slid to his shoulders and eventually, around his long, slim neck, pulling him closer, and she found herself kissing him back. She had never been kissed like this in her life.

She could feel his warm breath tickling her upper lip, and his heart beating, since they were pressed together. His hands moved from the sides of her face to the small of her back, where he held her as if he would never let her go, sending shivers up and down her spine.

Her stomach was feeling queer, as though it might implode at any moment, but it was a good feeling; in fact, it was downright wonderful.

A small voice in the back of her head screamed, _Ginny was right!!! She knew you loved him AND that he loved you back! SQUEALLLL._

Then she made herself shut up and focused on kissing Draco, which wasn't really too hard, because it was the most amazing thing that had ever happened to her.

She could feel his silky silver hair on her neck and reached a hand from around his neck to finger it. It was as soft as she'd envisioned it, which she, much to her embarrassment, had.

Her lips parted and so did his, and she suddenly felt an inexplicable urge to be even closer to him than she already was, which was, of course, not possible, since they were already as close to each other as two people could get, both literally and metaphorically.

She could taste coffee, and chocolate and mint, and it was so amazing, she almost stopped breathing, but realized that that wouldn't be at all romantic.

Soon enough, though, to Hermione's disappointment, he pulled away—but to her delight, he looked somewhat reluctant, which meant that he had possibly enjoyed it as much as she had.

He looked at her still somewhat stunned features, a tiny smile playing across his lips.

"I generally have that effect on most women." He said smugly, but still not managing to rid a tiny hint of a waver in his voice.

She couldn't help but giggle. "Idiot." She said, smiling. They were still in each other's arms, their faces only a few inches away from each others.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that." She said, still playing with the lock of hair she had fingered while they were kissing.

If she had been cold before, she was now electrified.

--

Well, how was it? Did you guys like it? I hope so!! I tried to lengthen the description on the kiss a bit more, because upon reflection, I'm really not all that descriptive. So I elaborated on the part which you guys have been waiting for ever since Hermione developed her crush on Draco!! Well, I hoped you liked it. Anyhoo, thanks for reading!


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

After that kiss with Draco, he was all Hermione could think about. She couldn't take her mind off it. She had already been told off by teachers thrice in this single _day._ And the worst part? She didn't even care. Whatever the case, she already knew what the teachers were talking about, anyway. So it didn't really matter.

She was euphoric. Nothing could put her down; not Snape's snarky comments, not McGonagall's stern looks. Nothing.

She felt wonderful and awful at the same time, only she _liked_ it all. She was still basking in the glow of the previous night's events, which made her feel wonderful, but she felt awful because she didn't have _any_ classes with Draco that day. It was just her luck, but even that didn't put her down, not too much, anyway.

Her heart rate hadn't slowed down to normal yet, and her stomach was tingling and she could still feel electric sparks flying from where Draco's hands had touched the small of her back the previous night.

She knew she was going to see him that day, later on in the library, but time just seemed to be dragging on and on forever. She wondered if he was now her boyfriend. Was he? Or was it just a one-time thing? Her heart momentarily went _thud_ into her chest, like a rock.

But then she reminded herself of how it had felt. It had been…perfect. She didn't think Draco only meant it as a one-time thing. And as soon as she thought those words, it was like her heart inflated itself with helium gas and flew up again.

--

Later that afternoon, she floated over to the library where they were to meet.

She almost cried when she saw the corner they always sat it was empty. But she shook her head violently (in her head) and told herself to stop being so entirely stupid. She went over there and sat down with her book bag, taking out the book she was reading and opening it, forcing herself to focus.

Just then, when she'd managed to get herself engrossed, she heard a small 'boo' right in her ear. She spun her head round to see Draco. Before she could say anything, or even respond by smiling, or something, he kissed her quickly, before putting down his bag and dropping gracefully next to her.

_It WASN'T A ONE-TIME THING!_ Thought Hermione, even more, if possible, happy now.

He looked at her book. "What're you reading?" he asked, casually.

She showed him the cover. "You?" she asked back, nodding at the book he'd taken out from his bag.

"Oh, just this thing. I've read it a thousand times already." He rolled his eyes as though mocking his own stupidity.

"Why?" she asked curiously.

He smiled somewhat sadly. "My dad gave it to me for my tenth birthday. One of the only times he actually remembered, and that was just because it was the first time he introduced the death eater thing to me."

Her eyes softened and she took his hand and squeezed it. He squeezed back and leaned into her a bit. She leaned in as well.

So, like that, they began to read their books. It was a bit hard with only one hand, but they seemed to have an unspoken agreement that it was better than not holding hands.

Unexpectedly, Hermione's heart was racing. If this kept up, she thought, inwardly rolling her eyes, she would die soon.

Soon enough, Draco finished his book, because he had memorized it so well that he could skip a couple of paragraphs and not miss much, but Hermione still had a long-ish chapter to go, so he waited for her.

After a while, he leaned his face into her neck, making her shiver inwardly. "You know, Granger, I think I'm now a senior citizen." He whispered cheekily into her ear.

"Oh shut up." She said, but she didn't push him away. How could she? She was powerless.

So she continued to read, and squeaked when Draco picked her up and put her in his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist and planting small kisses from her jawbone to the side of her neck, lightly. Eventually, he just placed his chin on her shoulder and read with her.

When she turned the page, he complained, "Hey, I wasn't done with that!"

She grinned and rolled her eyes, turning her head to face him, and almost meeting his lips. She said, "Now what was that you were saying about me being a slow reader, which I am _not_?"

Mock-indignantly, he said "I never said you were a slow reader. I said I was a senior citizen. There is absolutely _nothing_ that connects those two sentences. Hmph."

She grinned again and kissed him on the lips lightly before returning to her book.

"Turn." He commanded after about two seconds after she'd started reading the next page.

"You haven't actually read the page, have you?" she asked, grinning.

"I have too!"

"Have not."

"Have too."

"Have not."

"Have too. Oh, just read the thing, Granger." He said teasingly.

She mock-narrowed her eyes at him before returning to her book.

He smiled into her shoulder.

--


	20. Chapter 20

Well, I thought the 20th chappie should be a little different, so I haven't made it all just completely Draco and Hermione's life in Hogwarts. We can now learn how they interact with their families! Haha. I hope you like it!

**Chapter 20**

_Dear Hermione,_

_How are you, sweetheart? Alexis and I miss you so much! How are you finding school? Remember sweetie, this is your last year here, so enjoy it, okay?  
Things at home are same-old-same-old. Alexis recently bought an all new makeup set and she's constantly gushing about it. It's nice to see her so happy, I suppose, but I would rather like if we could talk about other things.  
But I'm not complaining. Did you like those books I sent you? I went to Diagon-Alley and picked them out specially. I thought you might have read everything of interest in your school already and might be getting a little bored. I hope you liked them!  
Well, I won't keep you long; I'm sure you have more interesting things to do than listen to your old man talking a load of garbage! Alexis wants to write a bit, too, so I'll go, otherwise she'll keep jostling me.  
I can't wait to see you again, baby girl.  
Love,  
Dad_

_Dear Hermione, _

_Hello! This is Alexis. I just wanted to check in on how you're doing. You are well, I trust? Anyway, bringing us over to issues of more importance, I wanted to ask you how the makeup is working for you.  
Remember, the makeup isn't a miracle cure for anyone, and it isn't like you can smear it on and you'll look pretty, so you MUST remember the three-step cycle before applying: cleanse, tone, and moisturize.  
Also, I wanted to tell you about this completely GORGEOUS new makeup kit I bought for myself as a treat. It was on discount and only cost $399.99 instead of the usual $410. Isn't that an amazingly irresistible deal? I just HAD to get it.  
Anyhoo, I wanted to ask if you'd gotten yourself a boyfriend yet. I mean, really, Hermione, sweetie, you're SEVENTEEN, and haven't had a long term _relationship_ yet? If I weren't your stepmother and didn't care for you, I'd call you a freak.  
I suppose you're the only boyfriend-less girl in the whole SCHOOL? Even that old teacher, that withered one, Mc something or other, probably has a boyfriend. And I _that_ withered old bag can get one, so can you. I mean it's CALLED concealer! TRY IT. Like, you know?  
Speaking of boyfriends, this brings up the issue of your, er, virginity, to be frank. You need to lose it. You cannot be an innocent, little naive magical pixie girl for the rest of your life, you know. I know a great place you could go to once you come back from Hogwarts, or whatever it's called. Have I ever mentioned that Hogwarts is SUCH an un-glam name?  
Anyway, I have to go now.  
Mwah, mwah!  
Alexis_

Hermione looked at the second letter and shuddered. Ugh. 'Innocent naive magical pixie girl'? Whoa.

--

_24__th__ June, 2009  
From the desk of Lucius Malfoy_

_To Draco Malfoy_

_I trust this letter finds you in good health. In response to your previous inquiries, your mother and I are well.  
I feel I must reprimand you for the manner in which you penned your previous letter. It was, to say in the least, _vulgar_. I am sorry to say, you have shamed the Malfoy name to a certain extent, but I suppose nothing is to be done about that, except my sincerest _advice_ that you do _not_ ever write like that again. I had reason to believe you were possessed by someone.  
Moving on to a more serious topic, I feel it is time to discuss the implications your graduation from Hogwarts will have on the family, seeing as you have not joined the Dark side yet. I feel it my duty to inform you that there is still time for you. Join, child, and live a life of duty and belonging and servitude for a greater cause. It will be an honor, to have the Mark of the Great Lord on your arm.  
If you insist on remaining unrelated to the Master, than I must tell you that your bonds with the Malfoys will have to be severed and you will, in effect, become an orphan, a disgrace, one of the Fallen. I will give you an grace period of two weeks after you graduate, after which I expect you to move out from the Manor, taking all belongings with you. Any remaining effects will be incinerated and you will never contact us again.  
I hope this letter has its desired effect on you, as I have not much time to convince you to join. Make the right choice, Draco, or you will cease to be a Malfoy.  
Yours sincerely  
Lucius Malfoy_

Draco cringed when he saw the letter.

"What's wrong?" asked Hermione, who had just finished reading her letter next to him.

"Oh, it's nothing, really." He said breezily, trying to smile.

She scrutinized him. "I don't think it's nothing, but if you don't want to talk about it, I suppose it's really not my place to push you." She shrugged and looked at her letter again.

"No, 'Mione, it's not like that. It's my dad. He's saying if I don't join the dark side before I graduate, he's going to disown me and I won't be a Malfoy anymore. He'll give me a two-week grace period during which I have to take all my stuff out of his house. And I can never contact him again."

Her eyes widened.

"You know," he commented, after a moment. "I think this may be the best news I've heard in a while."

She laughed incredulously and he grinned and kissed her cheek.

He took her hand and they walked out of the Owlery, where they had been reading.

"What, did you think I was going to break down into tears for my mummy and daddy?" he asked, smirking.

"Well, it would've been pretty normal if you had." She said honestly. He smiled. "But where will you go? What will you do?"

"I have a reasonably large sum of money waiting for me in a Gringotts account, to be mine when I turn eighteen." He shrugged. "I can use that to get a house and get started with Auror training."

"Oh." She felt a sudden pang in her chest. It wasn't fair. Draco had never done anything wrong to deserve this… well, it was a matter of opinion when one said 'wrong'. He had been a complete asshole to Gryffindors at first, but that was because he'd been brought up like that! Not his fault. And anyway, look at him now! He had _changed_.

No, he didn't deserve such a complete jackass of a father.

Seeing her somewhat unhappy expression, Draco grinned and said "Feeling sorry for me, are we?"

"Oh, zip it." She grinned, but didn't actually deny the sort-of-accusation.

"Aww, don't be." He said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and giving her a half hug. "I'll be okay."

She just smiled.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

"Draco, my man, my buddy!" said Blaise one day in the Slytherin common room.

Draco looked at him with narrowed eyes. Blaise only referred to him as his 'man' and 'buddy' when he wanted something out of him.

"Yes, Blaise, my sweet little carrot cake?" replied Draco sweetly.

Blaise was unfazed. "You did it!"

"What?"

"You got together with Hermione!"

"Oh. Yes, I did. How did you know about that?"

"Who _doesn't _know about that? A Gryffindor and a Slytherin? Hogwarts history has been made, my friend. And I'm the one getting first hand info on it." He said the last sentence almost hopefully.

"You're going to sell whatever I tell you to the gossip-mongers, aren't you?"

"No! We're buddies! I wouldn't."

Draco rolled his eyes and said "Then why do you have a recorder under your pillow. Honestly, you would make an awful spy. Leaving microphones poking out like that."

Blaise cringed. "Yes, well…" a pause. "So will you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" asked Draco taking the recorder and removing the charm that made it work and throwing it out the window to be safe. After that, he said "Accio recorders," and all twenty seven recorders hidden about the room came flying to his feet. "You know," he remarked, "if someone saw all these, they might think you're some kind of pervert." He threw the devices out the window.

Blaise sighed, but knew it was a lost cause. "Well, will you tell me because we're friends?"

"Tell you what?" he repeated. Blaise looked pleased and somewhat happy at knowing that Draco would tell only him stuff that he didn't want anyone else to know. It made him feel…_special._

"Okay, number one: have you had sex with her yet?" asked Blaise.

"Er, no. Not intending to for a while, anyway." Said Draco uncomfortably.

"Really? 'Cause, you know, she's hot."

Draco narrowed his eyes at Blaise, who immediately realized his faux pas and laughed nervously and said "Well, you know, I'm just saying… okay! Moving on."

Draco sat down on a sofa and folded his legs. Blaise was stretched out on an armchair next to the fire, where he often curled up. "Okay."

"Number two: Do you _want_ to have sex with her?"

"Is that _all_ you can talk about? No, at the moment, I _don't_ want to have sex with Hermione."

"Really?" Blaise's eyes widened. "Does that mean you don't really like her like that?"

"No, I _do_ like her a _lot._ I just…I don't want to have sex with her, Blaise. I just want to be with her, all the time."

Blaise nodded, but he didn't completely understand. He'd never actually had a serious relationship. Even Demitri hadn't worked out for him. He hadn't found his match yet, so he couldn't relate to Draco, but he could try to.

"Okay. Number three…okay, not number three." He cancelled something out.

"Or four, or five," he scribbled out more things on the paper from which he was reading.

"Okay, six-" but Draco interrupted him. "Why not three, four or five?"

"They're about sex." Said Blaise.

"Ah. Okay, carry on. And thanks." Draco said. Blaise grinned at him.

"Is she like any of the other girlfriends you've had?"

"Blaise, you know all my previous girlfriends, and you know Hermione. Maybe you can figure that one out for yourself."

Blaise nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Next?"

"That's it, actually."

"Whoa, so, numbers 1 to 6 were all about sex, and 7 was a no-brainer?"

"Pretty much." Blaise grinned.

Just then, a really, really pretty girl (in Blaise's point of view, of course) came up to them and said, smiling "Um, you're Blaise Zabini, right?"

Blaise's charm gene went into overdrive. Smiling, coolly, he replied "Hey there, sweetheart. You know, I wish you were I homework, so I could put you on the table and do you all night." Nearby, Draco sniggered.

The girl snorted as though that was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard. "I'll bet you do."

Blaise's mouth hung open, but he regained his poise.

"Harsh, dude." Normally he would never call a girl dude, but since she had rejected his best pickup line, she may as well be a genderless amoeba. Rejecting _him_, of all people! The idea!

Now the girl smiled. "Nice. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that McGonagall's looking for you."

Somewhere along this point, Draco snuck off and left them to their own devices.

The last thing he heard was "I'm headed that way myself. Wanna go together?"

--

Later on, with Hermione…

"She rejected the _homework_ pickup line!" said Draco to Hermione, who was listening to the whole Blaise incident, minus the interview thing, of course.

"What homework pickup line?" she asked, grinning.

"You know…" suddenly he felt somewhat embarrassed. Come to think of it, it was pretty stupid, but he and Blaise had been using it for years and it had always worked.

"No, what?" her grin was growing more pronounced.

"I wish you were my homework, so I could put you on the table and do you all night?" he said, turning pink.

She burst into laughter. "You've _used_ that one before? And it's _worked_?"

He sniffed. "Well. With my charm, charisma and good looks, anything works."

"Sure, Draco, sure." But she kind of agreed with him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, a playful twinkle coming into his eyes.

"I don't like that look of yours…"

He grinned and pulled her into his arms, holding her tight, and started to tickle her. She squealed. "Stop!" she cried, laughing. "Stop it!"

When he had had his fun, he stopped. She poked him. "I can't believe you just did that."

"Believe it." He smirked. He still sat her in his lap, playing with her fingers.

A happier existence, Hermione could not imagine.

--

The next day, Hermione met Draco by the lake. They were going to enjoy the last few weeks of exam-less school before they took their last train journey back. Ever. It was a gloomy thought, but Hermione consoled herself with the fact that she still had a few weeks left.

"Hey, 'Mione," he said when he saw her. She sat down next to him and before she could say hi back, he placed the long slim fingers of one hand onto the side of her neck, and gently pulled her in for a kiss.

It was soft and sweet and staggering, like the previous ones. Her lips fit perfectly against his and she moved in closer. She entwined her fingers in his platinum hair. The kiss lingered for a while, before Draco pulled away.

She smiled. "Hey, Draco."

If someone had told her a few years ago that she would be friends with, much less dating Draco Malfoy, she would have laughed in their faces and told them to go to a mental hospital.

But now, it seemed so natural. Why hadn't she been friends with him since first year. All those years in Hogwarts when she could have had a smart, hot, sweet, funny—amongst others—friend! It seemed a waste.

But she was with Draco _now._ And that was all that mattered.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Soon, school came to an end. There was crying and there was becoming depressed, and then there was doing what Draco and Hermione were trying to do: commit the contents of all the library's books to memory.

Of course, towards the end of the day, they went around to all the places in the castle that they loved most, and, as a matter of fact, even ones they didn't love so much.

Ginny, even though she was not graduating, was depressed, because Harry would be leaving and getting a job as an Unspeakable, as he'd confessed to her that this was what he wanted to do most, and that meant a lot less time could be spent together with her.

But Ginny had told Hermione that she and Harry were really, truly in love, and she thought that they could survive a long-distance relationship. She'd said this almost hopefully, and Hermione was quick to reassure her.

Harry would most definitely not get 'bored' of Ginny or anything, and he would definitely stay faithful no matter what.

"But, Hermione," Ginny had said, "I'm so happy for you!"

"Me? Why?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"Well," Ginny hunched a shoulder. "You're together with Draco, and he's the same age as you and you're going to move away with him to an island far, far away," here Ginny's eyes started to glaze.

"Where you'll be all alone, and you'll spend every day on the beach, amidst the swaying palm trees, and you'll never have to do a day's hard work in your life, and life literally will be a _beach_."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the ridiculousness of the statement, but Ginny wasn't done yet.

"And every evening, under the starry, starry skies, you'll make sweet love, with only the ocean as your witness, and your newly heightened feelings will make the sensation of him—"

"OKAY, STOP." Said Hermione, right when Ginny was about to say something about Draco that would never make her look at him in the same way again.

But Ginny was staring into air, her eyes dreamy and wistful.

"Ginny, are you absolutely BONKERS? It's not going to be like that, at all! He's going to get himself a house—in the CITY—where he will study to become an auror using the money in the bank account, which he currently possesses.

"And _I_ will be with my parents, studying, also, to become an auror, and once I'm _done_, I'll move out and get my own place, and so will he, and then _maybe_ we'll be able to think about progressing our relationships."

Ginny's expression changed from wistful to sour and mulish. "Must you suck the romance out of _everything_?"

"Ginny, you're being impractical. The money that Draco has can't last us the rest of our lives!"

Ginny looked exasperated. "That's what love _is!_ It's impractical! You don't _work out_ all the steps! It just happens!" her face was more serious than Hermione had ever seen it.

"You can't control yourself when you fall in love, and meet a person who's face you just can't tear your gaze away from, because you don't _want _to look anywhere else! You love that person irrationally, and you would do _anything_ they asked you to, without questioning them, because you _trust _them. _That's_ why couples that are_ truly_ in love can make it forever, till the ends of _time,_ because they trust each other no matter what.

"And even in crises, they did what the other told them to, even if it sounded completely stupid, because they have such undying, uncontrollable _faith_ in each other, that they _know_ that their other will never do anything to ever harm them. It's something you feel, not anything you control.

"It's not _practical_ or even _logical_, it's completely _stupid,_ but you just can't help it. You don't _learn_ it _anywhere._ Love. Just. Takes. Its own. Course."

Hermione was, to say in the least, startled. Ginny had never had such an emotional outburst before. She was normally a calm, composed person, and even though she was easily excitable, and not very sensible at the best of times, Hermione knew now, that Ginny was deathly serious. And Hermione believed her.

"I believe you."

Ginny, who was breathing hard, said, falteringly, "W-What?"

"I believe you, Gin."

"Oh. Right." Just then Harry came in the room.

"Hello, Ginny, 'Mione."

"Hi Harry." They said in synchrony.

"Gin, come here; I want to give you something."

Ginny's eyes softened, and she said, walking over to Harry, "What is it?"

"You'll see." He said with a twinkle in his eyes that wasn't normally there when he was with anyone but Ginny.

--

Soon after, Hermione stood at the corridors, looking down at the moving staircases.

She felt a pair of arms encircling her waist from behind, and at first she stiffened, but relaxed, because those arms belonged to the person she loved most in the world.

"Hey, Draco," said Hermione.

"Hello, 'Mione." His tenor voice still sent ripples of pleasure up and down her spine.

She placed her arms over his, and felt warmth radiating from them. "What's up?" she asked, smiling as he kissed her cheek from behind.

He shuddered and said "I couldn't stand Blaise and Parker arguing. They go at it non-stopping. It's annoying."

"Parker?"

"Oh, that girl he met in the common room. You know, the one who rejected his homework pickup line."

She grinned. "Ah."

"You know, I've never actually seen him like this. They disagree about absolutely _everything._ It's ridiculous."

"You know, I think he likes her." Stated Hermione.

He grinned and remarked "You just figured?"

She spun around to face him, so his hands were now around the small of her back and their bodies were inches apart. "I'm gonna miss this place." She said quietly.

"Me too," he replied and kissed the top of her forehead. But she dragged his face down and kissed him on the lips, moving her fingers to the back of his neck.

Then, the bell rang.

It was time to go.


	23. Chapter 23

Hey!! Wow, chapter 23. I never thought I'd actually get this far. This is the longest fic I've written, but that's probably thanks to the fact that this is the fic for which I've gotten the most reviews EVER! And I have only you guys to thank for that. So. THANKS!! I couldn't have done it without you. (:

**Chapter 23**

On the train journey back, the entire vehicle was relatively silent. Apart from the occasional word or two exchanged, not much was said. Most just stared out the window. And if the windows in their compartment were occupied, students—or, ex-students—stared into space.

There was muffled crying. And then there were the emotional breakdowns. Around four of those. Somewhat amusing to watch but just made Draco more depressed. Of course, Hermione didn't find them amusing at all, but she was depressed all the same.

Draco and Hermione were sitting side by side, hand in hand. Hermione wasn't hyperventilating the way she normally did when Draco held her hand—even though they were already together, this still happened—though this was none of his fault.

"Draco, where are you going to stay until you get a place?" she asked suddenly, although it was something she had been pondering for a while.

He shrugged. "Hotel, maybe."

"Oh." There was a pause. "Because, you know, you could stay with me." Another pause, during which Draco turned somewhat red, soon to be followed by Hermione when she realized her error. "I don't mean it like that. Well. You know what I mean." She said hurriedly.

He shrugged again. "You don't have to do that, Hermione. I'll be okay."

"Draco," she began almost reproachfully, "I don't have to do it, I _want _to."

A small smiled played at his lips. "Really?" he sounded almost hopeful, in a way that made Hermione's heart melt.

"Of course, really." She said.

He grinned. "In that case, I would love to." A pause. "But Hermione, what about your parents? Won't they mind?"

She shook her head. "My dad won't, for sure. He has faith in my level of maturity. Alexis, on the other hand…"

He shook his head. "Look, 'Mione, if either of your parents have _any_ objection, then I'm not staying."

She said "Alexis won't disapprove."

"Then why'd you…"

Hermione actually smiled evilly for the first time in a while.

Draco looked a bit scared. "I don't like that look…"

"She's gonna swoon over you."

"_What_?" he cried, then stammered, "B-b-but, she's-she's your…your s-stepmom.."

"I know. But she's been known to date sixteen year olds before. Illegal, but since when has that bothered her? By the way, she's thirty-four. She likes to pretend that she's twenty-five, and she almost looks it. But the main reason she pretends is that she used to be a Playboy bunny before she got married, and she's nostalgic about the 'old days' and tries to convince people she's a young bunny, because thirty-four in bunny years is about sixty."

He paled.

She grinned. "Don't worry, I'll protect you. And she won't bother you too much cos my dad's around, and she's always a perfect wife around him." he relaxed visibly. "They have bunny years?" he asked after a moment.

She giggled. "Yep."

--

"Dad, Alexis, let me introduce my boyfriend to you," she said the 'b' word with a certain relish, glad to see her stepmother's stunned face, as though she were not expecting Hermione to get a boyfriend so soon.

"This is Draco Malfoy," she continued. Draco smiled like a gentleman. Alexis appeared to be swooning. Her dad appeared to approve.

"It's lovely to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Granger." He said politely.

"Pleasure's ours." Said Hermione's father, smiling warmly and acceptingly, getting over his brief surprise that Hermione had a boyfriend. But he was proud of her.

"Yes," twittered Alexis, smiling as best she could with the Botox she'd gotten injected in her face, paralyzing the muscles which enabled her to smile. "Lovely,"

"I was wondering, dad," continued Hermione, "Draco doesn't have a place to stay for the moment—"

Draco interrupted "Things are pretty bad at home." Shrugging.

"And I wanted to ask if he could crash at our place for a while."

"Just till I find a place of my own."

"Before you say anything, Jack," said Alexis, "let me tell Draco that I consider it my _duty_," flashing a flirtatious smile (victim shudders) "to let him stay at our place for as long as he likes."

"I was going to say yes," said Hermione's dad, somewhat annoyed.

"Oh. Well, then."

"Anyway, come on, you two. No need to hang about the train station all day." Said Hermione's dad, leading them to the family car.

Draco stared at it in awe, and whispered somewhat audibly to Hermione, "I've seen these things on TV, but I thought they were only imaginary, or something."

Hermione grinned and so did her father who had overheard. Alexis, for her part, sauntered over to the passenger seat of the car.


	24. Chapter 24

Hey, guys, gals! Sorry for the supremely short chappie 23, but I was kind of dry of ideas.. -.- anyways, I hope this chappie is longer(and less pointless)

**Chapter 24**

The next morning, Hermione, Draco and Hermione's father were woken up by a shriek from the kitchen. Thinking there was a fire, they rushed down in a panic, ready to take out fire extinguishers, or in Draco or Hermione's case, their wands.

Seeing only Alexis staring at her bimbotic magazine, whose new issue appeared to have arrived by post on that day, Hermione's dad demanded what was wrong.

Appearing about ready to faint, Alexis gushed breathlessly, "The new Victoria's Secret fashion show is going on in Paris. RIGHT NOW." (insert gasp) "AND WE MUST GO."

Hermione's dad looked somewhat blank. "What?"

"WE MUST GO, JACK!" she shrieked dramatically. "I shall _die_ if we don't. I shall be positively _ill._ Oh," she said, placing the back of her hand to her forehead, completely drama-queen-style.

"Well, er, I could take a week's leave from work," said Jack, appearing thoughtful.

"Oh, would you?" Alexis's expression turned from mulish and dramatic to hopeful.

"Yes, I'll see what I can do. Hermione, Draco, I don't presume you want to come?"

Hermione vehemently shook her head. She had a thing against lingerie shows. They were so self-derogatory. But when she tried to explain this to Alexis, she had asked, "Must you be so bookish and conservative, Hermione? Honestly, you're so conservative, you'd think you'd have been _raped_ or something." Upon hearing this, Hermione had been livid with rage. Who was _Alexis_ to make this judgment?

"No thanks." She said, pushing the memory out of her head.

Draco innocently, and somewhat confusedly asked "Who's Victoria?"

Hermione burst out laughing. Her father grinned. Hermione dragged Draco away from her father and stepmother, whom she knew wanted to be alone.

"You don't eavesdrop on their conversations?" he asked incredulously.

"Um. No?"

"Goody goody Gryffindor." He muttered loud enough for her to hear. She grinned.

"Who _is_ Victoria, anyway? A friend of the family, or something?"

Hermione giggled. "In Alexis's dreams." Before she proceeded to explain the concept of Victoria's secret, to a wide-eyed Draco.

"Oh. _Oh."_ He said, turning pink.

She smiled, and curled her fingers around the back of his neck and tiptoed up to kiss him. He didn't not respond. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer to him. And he held her in his arms and kissed back.

Her fingers entwined themselves in his silky silvery hair and all possible logical reasoning and logical abilities she had a second ago vanished. She might as well as have been brain-dead. But she doubted brain-dead people—bless them—could experience what she was experiencing.

It was like she was wrapping her arms around and kissing lightning. Warmth radiated from Draco's slim figure and made her want to be closer to him all the more even though it was physically impossible.

You would think that by now she would be used to kissing him, but she wasn't. It was as electrifying and magical as it had been the first time.

--

"Well," said Hermione's dad. "I think we've packed everything, don't you?" he referred to Hermione, who had composed a list, much to Draco's horror, as he learnt that she was almost obsessive about organizing things.

Hermione glanced at the paper she held in her hands. "Yep. I think you've got it all. Oh, Alexis."

"Yes?" asked Alexis, glancing in some dismay at her seven suitcases, all matching pink Miu Miu and her woven Miu Miu Matelasse in mauve.

"Er," asked Hermione somewhat hesitantly, but she knew it had to be asked. "Tampax?"

"All six boxes." Said Alexis, as if this were a feat for which she deserved an Olympic gold medal.

"Tampax?" inquired Draco.

"Nothing you want to know about." She said, blushing, without looking at him.

He bent his head and scuffed his shoe against the floor, in an angelic manner that made her want to kiss him, but she managed to control herself.

"Well, I suppose we're off then." Said Hermione's father.

"Yes, do let's go," said Alexis in a most bimbotic-ally clichéd British manner.

"Alright, then, sweetie, I'll see you in a week, okay?" he asked, bending down and kissing Hermione on the cheek.

"Yep. Bye, dad." Hermione said as her dad clapped Draco on the back.

They closed the door behind them after Alexis waved arrogantly as though she were a queen.

"So." Said Draco, casually tucking his hands in his pockets and rocking back on his heels, an innocent motion that nevertheless made Hermione's heart thud faster.

"So." She replied.

"We have the whole house all to ourselves?" he asked somewhat uncertainly.

"Yep."

"Wanna watch TV?"

"Always." She grinned.

This was going to be awesome.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

So they sat, and watched television to their heart's content. They still had eight or so months before they had to start applying for Auror training. Draco made lots of comments about all of the characters whom he didn't like in movies and sitcoms, and instead of finding this irksome, like she would if it was anyone else, she found it amusing. It was probably just the way he said it.

"Draco, want some popcorn?" she asked during the adverts.

His eyes widened as if she were suggesting she make him soup out of pure gold.

"I'll take that as a yes." She said with a grin as she walked to the kitchen. Draco trailed after her. "But Hermione, won't it be too much trouble?"

"Why would it be trouble, Draco? It's just popcorn."

He appeared not to have heard her and continued, "I didn't even _know_ you had a corn farm. Can I see it?"

She burst into laughter. Did he actually think she grew her own corn, harvested it and made _popcorn_?

He looked a bit pouty. "What?"

"Draco," she said, in between laughs, "I meant readymade, microwave popcorn. All you have to do is put the bag in the microwave."

His eyes widened even more. "They _have_ that?"

She managed to control her laughter. "Sure they do. Wanna see it?"

He nodded eagerly like a little child.

She showed him the bag of popcorn and the instructions on the back, which they were supposed to follow, to which he snobbishly replied that instructions were for dumb people.

"Draco, I read instructions all the time."

He turned red. "Well. You know what I mean."

She rolled her eyes but grinned, unable to be mad at him for such a petty matter.

--

When the popcorn was done, they went back to the living room where they sat down in front of the TV again.

Hermione had emptied the extra-buttered popcorn into a large bowl, but Draco had nevertheless brought the empty popcorn bag with him. Hermione soon found out why when he stuck his finger into the bag and started scraping out the salted butter from the walls and licking it.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "That's disgusting." She commented, but she was smiling as she said it.

--

That night, like the many previous nights, as he father informed her, it rained.

It was cold and dark and an overall creepy time of the night. All the neighbor's curtains were fast closed and lights turned off.

Hermione couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned in her beds for several minutes before she rolled a bit too much and fell out of bed.

She tiptoed out of her room quietly and started to walk towards the kitchen to get a glass of milk or something.

When she passed by Draco's door, she found the light on, but she didn't want to disturb him as he might be almost asleep. She knew how annoying it was to be awoken when you finally almost manage to fall asleep.

When she reached the kitchen, she found Draco standing there with a giant glass of milk! "Oh, hello, 'Mione."

"Hi Draco." she kissed him on the cheek

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked.

She shook her head. "You?"

He shook his head. "Damned thunder…" he muttered. She grinned.

She took out a glass from the cupboard and poured herself a glass of milk and started to drink it.

When they were both done, Draco took her hand and they started to walk upstairs again.

Suddenly, she asked "Can I sleep in your room tonight?"

He looked at her and turned _very_ red. "Not like that, you dolt."

"Oh." He said but still blushed. He shrugged. "Okay.'"

She grinned at his still scarlet face. Could this guy be any more perfect?

They went into his room and lied down on separate sides of the bed.

It was awkward at first, but then Hermione gave a sudden giggle at the stupid hilarity of it all and soon enough, they were both laughing like lunatics. "Good night, Draco."

"Good night, 'Mione."

And they went to sleep.


	26. Chapter 26

Hey, everyone! Sorry for the long wait, and the short length of the last post. School's just started again, and I'm dying waking up at 5.45 a.m. every morning. Anyhoos, do you guys remember Blaise and his new friend—of sorts—Parker? Well, I was thinking of making a sort of sister fic to this one, about how they get along. Whaddya all think about that? Would you read it? Cos I don't wanna do it if no-one reads it. ;p Anyways, get back to me if you think it's a good idea. Also, get back to me if you think it's a crap idea. Your opinion MATTERS! YAY! (: haha, sorry. Okay, gonna start writing the fic now. Lol.

**Chapter 26**

Hermione woke up the next morning, at a luxuriously late hour, she could tell, from the bright sunlight that streamed through a crack in the curtains. She was cuddled up against a warm figure.

She liked how it smelt. She snuggled in closer, and the figure responded by wrapping its arm around her waist and pulling her even closer. She could smell its hair—soft, silky smooth hair—and it was like coffee. Did they make that? she thought in her dazed, dreamlike state.

She wanted shampoo that smelt like coffee, too…

Just then, she realized she was awake. And that this was not a dream. And that she really was cuddled up against somebody, and that somebody was Draco. And his hair _did_ smell like coffee.

Oh shit.

At the same moment, his bright gray-blue eyes flew open. Yelping as though they had seen ghosts, or, uh, Voldemort, they sprang apart, and both fell off the bed onto the floor with loud thumps. Their yells turned into 'ow!'s. At the same time, they got to their knees and looked at each other over the bed with wide eyes.

"Sorry." He said, sounding out of breath but she shook her head and said "Nuh uh. I'm sorry."

When the shock started to leave, the blush started to come and soon they had flamed up.

"Shall we pretend nothing happened?" she suggested.

"Okay. Works for me."

"Let's go down for breakfast."

He nodded.

"Yes, let's."

--

Later on that afternoon, Hermione and Draco were both supremely bored. They had watched all the television they possibly could, and it was pouring outside.

"I'm BORED." Draco announced.

"I know. You told me about twenty-thousand times."

He smirked.

They were sitting on the sofa, staring into air. Just then, the power got cut, and the house plummeted into darkness. Hermione jumped and muttered "I hate the dark."

Draco, when he responded, sounded surprised. "Really? I didn't know."

She didn't reply, because there was no need to. He pulled her close and into his arms and hugged her tight. She snuggled into him closer and rested her head on his chest.

He took out his wand and said 'lumos,' and a glow bright enough to illuminate the whole room came on. He placed it next to him and took Hermione's hand in his, after which he began to play with her fingers, absentmindedly doodling on her palm.

Just then, the phone rang, and both Hermione and Draco jumped about ten feet into the air. "The phone works in a power cut?" he inquired curiously.

"Yeah. It runs on batteries."

"Hmm. Explain that to me later." He said plainly.

She grinned and jumped over the back of the sofa to get to the phone.

"Hello?" she asked, straightening her t-shirt with her free hand.

From where he was sitting, Draco could hear high-pitched shrieking from the other side of the call and wondered if that was supposed to happen. When the voice raised a couple of octaves, he winced. Hermione must be going deaf. Hermione now held the phone about a foot away from her face, and they could both still hear the voice clearly.

"Her-miiiii-ooo-neeeeeeeeeeeee! Oh, my _GOD_, it's been SO _long._ I have MISSED you!" screeched Alexis in a voice that didn't sound like she had missed Hermione at all.

"Er, hello. It's only been two days."

"Yes, but two days is like…so…" Alexis struggled to find a word eloquent enough to describe two days. "_Long._" She finished.

Draco sniggered.

Hermione stifled a laugh. "Uh huh."

"Any-WAY, I just like, wanted, to like, ask, like, how you were, like, doing. You know."

"Um, we're fine, I suppose."

"We?" asked Alexis, although she was perfectly aware about Draco. "Oh, yeah, you're talking about Dr. Dreamy McSteamy, right?"

Draco appeared to be asphyxiating. "Um," struggled Hermione, trying not to laugh at Draco's scandalized expression. "Sure. Dr. er, Dreamy McSteamy."

"Ohmigawd, he is like, SO hot, don't you think?"

"Um," Hermione was rapidly colouring. Alexis knew she was dating Draco, and she most probably knew Draco could hear every word. Then why was she saying all this? "Might I remind you that you're, firstly, _married_, and secondly, about twenty years older than him?" she refrained from adding that he was TAKEN because that would have been supremely bitchy.

"Well, I may be married, but I'm not _dead_. And besides, twenty years, with my ass, is nothing."

Draco seemed to be hyperventilating now. Hermione shuddered at the thought that if this was what Alexis could unwittingly do to a seventeen year old man, what could she do to anyone else, when she actually wanted to?

She hated her.

"Yeah, listen, Alexis, Draco and I are somewhat busy," a harmless lie, "so could you get to the point, please?"

"Oooooh, _busy_, huh? And what might _that_ mean?" Alexis giggled as though she were drunk.

Hermione sighed exasperatedly and watched Draco turn red while hyperventilating and asphyxiating.

"Don't worry, I won't tell your dad. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that you SO missed out by not coming here. There are SO many things I KNOW you would LURVE to see! And the guys here are SO GORGE!"

"Gorge?" Draco mouthed, appearing to have recovered.

"Gorgeous." She mouthed back, and he nodded in understanding.

"So, like, do you like, want red, or black? I think black's more classic, but red's definitely sexier."

Draco's eyebrow was now raised in interest.

"Um, neither?"

"Oh, but HERMIONE, they're VICTORIA'S SECRET LINGERIE!"

"Er, thanks, but I'm good."

"Ooh, how about hot pink? Sexy, but flirtatious too…" Draco smirked. She glared.

"You know, Alexis, I really don't want to talk about this right now."

"Oh, fine, be a bitch about it." She could practically hear the pout in Alexis' voice.

"Okay, but I have to go now, there's a…um, there's a…" she struggled to think of an excuse and Draco suggested loudly, "Llama!"

"There's a llama!" she blurted without thinking. "I mean, there is a llama problem going on. Er, one escaped from the zoo and, er, they're broadcasting safety precautions on the TV. Um. Yeah."

"Oh, like, whatever, 'Mione. Bye."

"Bye." But Alexis had already hung up.

"LLAMA!?" she burst out at Draco.

He shrugged apologetically. "It was the first thing I could think of."

"Things go on inside your head that have no relation to the outside world." She observed. He grinned. "Yep."

There was a pause. "So, red, black or pink, huh?" he asked.

"SHUT UP!" she hurled a pillow at him, flaming bright red.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Hermione was horribly nervous. It was that ridiculously bad time of year again. She couldn't help but notice that her dad and stepmom's departure had conveniently coincided with it.

She had a strange suspicion that Alexis had had something to do with that. But it didn't elicit the response she knew Alexis hoped it would have. Instead, she felt relieved. It was, again, most unfortunately, the twenty-seventh of March.

It was her birthday.

As she lay in bed, chewing her fingernail to a near-gangrenous state, she internally felt impending doom. She hated her birthday. All the fuss. Her dad always insisted on a cake, and a big production, much to Hermione's horror.

She loathed the birthday-song-singing aspect of it the most. Happy Birthday? More like horror-filled day of terror. Or whatever.

She rolled her eyes at the pathetic, and unintentional rhyme. Her birthdays normally included days of planning and inviting and preparing, and recently, thanks to Alexis, dressing up.

"Ugh." She muttered and turned over and covered her ears and face with her pillow. As if that would help.

She gave up trying to hide in her bed forever and looked at her alarm clock. Six a.m. Damn. Just then, there was a knock at her window. What the…?

She jumped up, instantly weary of axe-wielding murderers, cannibals, skinners (people who skinned you alive; yes, they do exist), decapitators (although that probably wasn't an official term), child molesters (though she was hardly a child, but still…) and otherwise very, very bad people.

She rolled her eyes at her morbid imagination. What type of criminal would knock on her window? Her mind filled with images of criminals who would do just that, and she shuddered involuntarily.

What if it was Voldemort? _Oh shut up Hermione, and stop being such a twit._ She listened. It worked.

She looked cautiously through the curtains and found Draco. What the heck was he doing there?

She swung open the window and he climbed through. "Hello, 'Mione." He said coolly, but his eyes were warm.

"Draco, what on earth were you doing there?"

"Where?" he asked 'innocently'.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be stupid. What were you doing climbing my window."

It was his turn to roll his eyes as though she were a small, very stupid child. "I had to get in your room somehow."

She gaped for a while, unable to find a response. "Draco, your room is right next door. You could have left your room and came into my room. Via the _door._"

He looked stumped. She couldn't help but giggle. "Well." He sniffed. "I am a Slytherin for a _reason_, you know."

"To climb into other people's windows rather than walking in through the door?"

"Exactly." There was a pause in which she eyed him skeptically. "Anyways, good morning to you, too, Draco. Thanks so much for making my day interesting by climbing in through my window.

"Thanks, also, for being so hot and smart and funny and nice and adorable and turning my life from an uninteresting thing into the joy ride of a lifetime." He said to himself, 'pretending' it was Hermione speaking.

She grinned. "Morning, Draco." she kissed him on the lips and felt instantly calm. The feeling of impending doom left her instantly.

He smiled charmingly and she almost melted. Then, as if by magic—well, it probably was by magic—he pulled out a bouquet of flowers from behind his back. It wasn't even the clichéd-stereotypical-I-couldn't-care-less-about-putting-more-thought-into-this bouquet of roses.

He had obviously very carefully picked out the flowers Hermione loved the most—orchids, lilies, freesias, some pretty white daisies popping out here and there, and her absolute favourite, poppies, all enveloped in two beautiful medium-sized dark green elephant's ear leaves and tied up with some earthy-natural and simple length of thin brown rope. It went with the theme of the bouquet so well, rather than the usual gaudy pink of purple shiny plastic ribbon. **(A/N some of you may not know what these are, but Google them and you'll see what I'm talking about—they're really pretty!)**.

Not a single rose in sight, and none of those annoying sprigs of baby's breath either, which everyone knew were just put there to fill up space. It was the most beautiful combination of flowers she had ever seen, and each flower was placed so carefully in a certain place, that it wouldn't have looked as beautiful had it been anywhere else.

If she had been about to melt before, she was now a liquid puddle seeping through cracks in between the wooden parquet tiles. "Oh, Draco," she said softly, "they're beautiful," she accepted it from him and immediately flung her arms around his neck and hugged him. This was sweeter than any gift anyone had ever given her!

"Hey," he whispered softly, somewhat surprised, and wrapped his arms around her in return.

"I love you." She said quietly, plainly. He was silent for a while, as if that had taken him by shock. "I…I love you too, Hermione. More than you can imagine." He had no idea how those words made her feel.

He pulled away from her for a moment, to her disappointment, but it was only to lift her chin up to him, and kiss her. Softly at first, maybe even tentatively, but more passionately in a moment.

Her palms rested on his chest and his arms were around her waist, holding her close. Her lips, as always, fit against his perfectly, but if it was possible, it was even more amazing this time.

She loved him. She was in love with Draco Malfoy, undeniably, and uncontrollably.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

"Hermioooonneeeeeeee!" squawked Alexis on the phone the next day.

"Er, hello, Alexis."

"Hermioneeee, I wanted to like, wish you, like, a happy, like, birthday?" she raised her voice towards the end, as though she were asking a question. Hermione refrained from informing her that her birthday had been two days ago.

"Oh. Um, thanks, Alexis. Means a lot to me." She lied through her teeth, grinning at Draco, who sat next to her on her bed, able to hear every word. Well, he might have been able to hear every word because he had his ear pressed to the back of the phone, magnifying the sound, and also making it harder for Hermione to think clearly.

"Yes, I know. Now, listen, Hermione, I have got, like, THE best-est present for you in the entire UNIVERSE!" the word 'universe', ended in an excited squeak.

"Oh, um, you didn't have to do anything special," said Hermione, because that's what you normally say to people with whom you're not too well acquainted.

"Oh, but I WANTED TO! You'll LOVE IT."

"Oh, okay. I, uh, look forward to it."

"Look forward? Why on earth would you do that? I can give it to you right NOW."

"Umm… okay?"

"I KNOW, it's amazing, right? I decided that a normal present was not like, what's the word? Befitting, that's it. Was not befitting for you."

"Uh…"

"So here goes!"

Despite herself, Hermione felt somewhat curious to know what it was. What was so special that it wasn't even a physical object, and yet had Alexis convinced Hermione would love it? Of course, Hermione would probably hate it, and she knew that, but she decided to give Alexis a chance. Maybe she was really trying.

"I am giving you…"

_What is it??? What!? Tell me, goddamn you, woman!_

"Permission…"

_Wait, what? Permission?_

"To call me 'mom'!"

_What? What. Did. She. Just. Say?_

"I beg your pardon?"

"You can call me 'mom' instead of Alexis. 'Mom' made me feel old so I allowed you to call me Alexis, and I know how desperately you needed and wanted to call me 'mom' because, really, who wouldn't want me as a mom, so anyway, that's my present to you! Happy birthday! Oops, gotta run. Toodles!"

Draco let out an incredulous snort. "That woman is unbelievable."

"I cannot believe she thinks that I desperately needed slash wanted to call _her_ my mom." Said Hermione after a pause. Then, she added, more quietly, "Like she thinks she could replace my mother."

Draco realized it was a sensitive spot for Hermione.

"My mom was…so much better than _her._"

"Hermione…" he said, but he fell silent, seeing her face.

"My dad says she looked like me." Silence. "I wish it was true. My mom was much prettier, and she was a wonderful person, too. She was so kind, and loving, and generous." She let out a humorless chuckle. "She would stop to give ten pounds to every homeless person she ever met, you know. And…and she—" but her voice cracked.

Draco, eyes widening with concern, pulled her onto his lap and stroked her hair gently. "Shh," he whispered. "It's okay, 'Mione. Shh."

He kissed her cheek and found a tear running down it. "Please don't cry, 'Mione. You know I couldn't stand it if you cried."

She sniffed, trying to bite back the tears that were on the verge of flowing.

"She can't replace my mom." Said Hermione, quietly.

"I know, Hermione." He said quietly back.

He gently wiped the tears from the sides of her face and kissed her cheek. Hermione felt much, much calmer, but still pretty sad. How did Draco do this to her? He could make her feel a billion times better at any point in time!

It was love. She knew now, for sure, it was love.

--

Later on, Hermione realized that the kitchen was clear of all food.

"Draco? I think we need to go grocery shopping. We're out of food."

Draco's eyes widened. "Out of…_food_?"

"Yep. Wanna come with me, or should I go alone?" she said, thinking that she would totally understand if he wanted to stay back. Grocery shopping was so dull.

"Of course I want to come with you, 'Mione!" Pause. "Unless, you don't want me to?"

"Of course I want you to." She said simply. "Come on, let's make a list."

Draco groaned. "Not with the _lists _again! Lists are for _organized _ people!!"

"I _am_ organized Draco."

He rolled his eyes, with a small hint of a grin. "Probably a goody-goody Gryffindor trait you picked up."

"Shut it, Malfoy." She grinned back.

He poked his tongue out at her. She turned around to face the kitchen counter so she could write out the grocery list.

He walked up behind her and peered over her shoulder as she wrote, making it hard for her to concentrate.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck from behind her. It was all she could do not to hyperventilate. Unfortunately, however, Draco picked up on this and said, somewhat triumphantly, "I still have it." Referring, of course, to his ability to charm girls into a state of hyperventilation.

"Oh shut it."

Despite his 'experiment' being complete, he didn't remove his arms from her waist.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

"Draco!" cried Hermione in horror.

"What?" he asked innocently, chucking in the twelfth can of ravioli in the cart which Hermione was pushing along while Draco just put at least one of every single thing on the shelves into the cart.

"We do _not _need so much ravioli!"

"But I _like_ ravioli, Hermioneee." He whined, sounding absolutely adorable. But Hermione remained unwavering.

"We have a budget, Draco, we can't overstep it!"

"Budgets are for poor people." He said plainly.

"Draco."

"Yes?" he asked sweetly. She could have kissed him, with that angelically charming smile he was wearing.

"Stop trying to charm me into letting you buy all this stuff, and put it back."

He pouted. "What did I tell you about the charming thing?" she said sternly.

"Oh, all right." His pout in place, he began to put back the ravioli, caviar, gourmet shrimp, and…_dog_ food?

"Draco, why did you put _dog food_ in there? Don't tell me you like to eat it."

He shook his head.

"You want to get a dog?" she suggested.

He shook his head.

"You like the picture?"

He shook his head.

"Then why?"

"Er," he looked as though he were searching his memory. "I don't really know…"

She burst into laughter, earning several disapproving stares from old ladies who were around, browsing through the aisles for the most organic cat food.

"Not funny." He muttered, but there was a twinkle in his eye and she knew he was joking around.

"Come on," she told him. "Let's shop for stuff we actually _need_. Look at the list now,"

He did, though somewhat reluctantly.

"What's the first item?"

"A chocolate fondue set." He lied, hoping in vain that he might get away with it.

"Idiot." She grinned and snatched the list from him. Well, tried. Smirking, he lifted it up way over his head where she obviously could never even hope of reaching it.

"Hey," she said, her voice sounding a bit jerky as she jumped up and down in a futile attempt to retrieve the list, her own body inches away from his to maximize the next-to-non-existent chance of her actually getting back the list. "Give that back!"

"You have to say the magic word." He drawled.

"Oh shut up."

"Not that one. Besides, that's two words." He pointed out.

"Fine." She said. "Please?"

"And you have to pay the toll."

"What toll?" she asked, confused.

He tapped his lips with an eyebrow slightly raised and an amused smile on his face. That really wouldn't be a problem. (**A/N in case you don't get it, you know, **_**just**_** in case, he wants her to kiss him before he'll give back the list.(: )**

She crossed her arms in front of her, raising her own eyebrow. His smile, if anything, widened.

She sighed dramatically, pretending to be irritated by the stupidity of it all, though she was thrilled to bits inside.

She tiptoed up to him and pecked him on the lips. "Uh-uh." He shook his head, now smirking.

She rolled her eyes, grinned and kissed him again, for real this time. She put her hands on the sides of his face, and kissed him. Needless to say, he kissed back, placing both hands—of course, the one with the list on it as well—on her shoulders lightly. Managing to make herself think clearly, she took advantage, and snatched the list from his hand.

"Hah! I got it!" she singsonged.

He grinned. So did she.

Grabbing his hand, she pulled him along and showed him how to shop. With a list. Draco Malfoy was learning more and more new things by the day…


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

They never ran out of things to talk about. Hermione was thinking about all the reasons she loved Draco Malfoy, and that was number one on her mental list.

He _listened_ to her. He was _interesting_ and smart, too. And he had opinions about things. It didn't matter that he often disagreed with her. It was what made being with him all the more fun.

Of course, she couldn't forget to mention his face. And butt. But those weren't what made her love him most (although they did help!). She wasn't materialistic like that (ignoring how that sounded). He was sweet and charming, and nice, and loving and her best friend in the whole world. Not to mention protective of the things he loved. Not over-protective-that would be annoying- but protective nevertheless. And she liked that.

And he was adorable. And she loved him more than she believed possible.

"'Mione?" asked Draco, from the sofa where he was sitting.

"Yes?" she asked, snapping out of her trance-like state.

"Is something wrong? You looked a bit far-off." He sounded concerned.

"Oh. Nothing's wrong, Draco," she said truthfully, smiling.

He smiled back and returned to his book. She almost melted as she returned to her own.

After a while, she finished her own book, but Draco was still reading his; his was a bit longer.

So she went and sat down next to him on the sofa where he was sitting. Seeing her, he smiled and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.

She snuggled her head into his chest and sat contentedly while he read. He smelt, as always, nice. Really, really, _really_ nice. She could have kissed him right there and then, but decided to wait for him to finish reading. She knew how much he wanted to finish this book.

Sitting there, curled in his arms, she couldn't think of a place in the world she would rather be at that moment. He was so warm, and…_nice_. She breathed in deeply and found herself pleasantly overwhelmed by the smell of coffee and chocolate, which she knew was part of his staple diet. How he stayed so slim with all that sugar going in was beyond her, she thought with a small smile and an internal roll of her eyes.

Absent-mindedly, he took her hand in his and started playing with her fingers. She felt so…loved.

A while passed in silence as Draco read. "Are you done yet?" asked Hermione, a small smile playing on her lips. "You're awfully slow."

He stuck his tongue out at her, and grinned.

So did she, but not before her stomach twisted at the sight of him. He was so amazing.

Then he brought her hand up to his lips— her fingers still intertwined with his long, slim ones—and kissed it.

She almost had a seizure. Jeesh, 'Mione. You'd think you'd start getting used to this by now. But the fact that it was as magical as when he'd first kissed her made it all the more exciting. It told her it wasn't a one-time crazy passion that would end. It would last and it wouldn't get boring. Not that anything could ever get boring with Draco!

To get over her stunned-ness, so she wouldn't look like a complete twit in front of Draco, she said "Oh get on with it, before I die of old age."

He sniffed, wounded. "Why Hermione! How could you be so cruel and thoughtless? I thought you liked me!

"Now heartbroken, I shall drink the most venomous of all venoms to kill myself to avoid facing the grief of having you not love me!"

There was a tiny pause in which he pretended Hermione's skeptically raised eyebrow was a look of horror and said

"No! Don't try to stop me! I have to do this!" her eyebrow raised even higher. Then he looked thoughtful, all the 'hurt' and suicidal thoughts mysteriously vanished.

"It appears my good looks, charm, charisma, and romantic-ness no longer have an effect on you. Hmm. I must find something new."

She snorted. "No longer have an effect? I almost had a heart attack!"

He smiled, happily. "Really?"

"Wow. You seem awfully happy about my near-death experience."

"No, not that." he said, grinning. "I almost gave you a heart attack?"

"Okay, now I'm insulted. You seem awfully happy about your almost having killed me, thus giving me a near-death experience."

"Oh shut up, 'Mione." He smiled at her and kissed her hand again, electrocuting her this time. She rested her head against his chest again, internally having another heart attack. She got the feeling that things would be like this for a long, long time.

"Really," she commented after a moment, "the 'most venomous of venoms'? You put many a Shakespearean act_ress_ to shame."

"Actually," he stated, "Shakespearean actresses were not in fact, actresses, but _actors._ Male ones. Even Juliet from Romeo and Juliet was a man. Or, at best, a very girly one."

They took a moment to chew on this, and shuddered. "How do you even know about Shakespeare, anyways?"

"Oh, I went to the public magical library once, and there was this section called 'Muggle Literature' and I thought I might just take a peek to laugh at Muggles' stupidity. Wound up spending six hours there, filling my head with all sorts of stuff."

She giggled. He smiled and kissed her forehead.

Yes, things would definitely be like this for a long, long, long time.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Two years passed in relative ease. Hermione and Draco passed their Auror exams with ease and were soon working in the Ministry of Magic. They were, unfortunately, in different departments.

But it depended on how you looked at it. If they were in the same department, they both knew they would never be able to focus on work. Well, they would, but it would be hard.

They were still just as in love as they had been a couple of years ago.

--

One day, well, Saturday to be exact, Hermione woke up at the (for her) luxurious hour of eight, cuddled in Draco's arms, as was the ritual. Hermione had moved out of her dad's house soon after she'd gotten her job. Draco had already gotten his place a few months ago. This is not to say, that they didn't see each other as regularly. Draco practically _lived_ in her house, except that he _had_ a place to call his own.

_Flashback… A few months ago…_

"_Hi, Draco!" said Hermione, about to tell him that she was moving out of her dad's house. "Guess what?"_

"_Hey, 'Mione," he smiled and gave her a quick kiss. "What is it?"_

"_I'm moving out of my dad's house!"_

"_Hermione, that's awesome!" he had cried, matching her excitement. "And it also brings up something else…"_

_Not having a clue what he was talking about, she asked curiously, "What? What is it?"_

"_Hermione, will you…" he paused suspensefully. "M-" he seemed to be considering rephrasing the question._

_Is he going to ask me to marry him? She asked herself, she did feel a little scared. Was she ready for marriage? She had already been thinking of whom to invite (extremely bimbotically, she noted with some chagrin, later on) when he spoke again. "What I mean to say is…"_

_Another pause._

_He sighed, giving up trying to phrase it properly. "Move in with me, 'Mione?" he had asked with a sweet smile. _

_Feeling somewhat relieved, not because she didn't love him, but because she didn't feel she was ready for marriage (although if she ever married anyone, it would be him). _

_As the thought of the question registered, she felt euphoria spreading throughout her whole body like cold air would if you stepped into Antarctica from a nice heated area. From her heart, blood rushed to everywhere in her body, especially her head, making her turn bright pink. She felt warm and just…ecstatic._

_She jumped into his arms and threw her own around his neck and kissed him hard. Her feet weren't quite touching the ground, as Draco was lifting her, just a bit._

"_I would love to move in with you, Draco," she whispered into his ear, and kissed him again._

_--_

A few months after this…

Hermione was living with Draco and had never been happier. Draco's apartment was not in fact, an apartment, but a loft, and it was huge. Of course, Hermione had insisted on paying for half of it once she moved in.

There were three bedrooms, but Draco and Hermione usually slept in the same one (not like that…) and this was how Hermione woke up that morning, cuddled into Draco's arms.

She didn't want to move, and she knew it was a Saturday, so she didn't. Instead, she just closed her eyes and hugged him tighter. He responded by hugging back, even though he was still asleep.

She fingered that lop of hair that was forever falling into his face (the one he had secretly thought of as 'the gorgeously sexy lop of hair') and smiled slightly.

It was so smooth and feathery, she could have kissed him right there and then, but that would surely wake him up, and that was the last thing she would want to do, seeing how peaceful he looked, sleeping.

His hand, which was previously on the side of her waist, as they were both facing each other, moved to the small of her back, sending shivers up and down her spine, as he pulled her closer to him, until they were lightly pressed together.

She couldn't help herself. She kissed his jaw, which was the only place she could reach without shifting her position and disturbing him. She bit her lip nervously. Had she woken him up? She hoped not. She held her breath for a few seconds, and when his eyes remained closed and his expression calm, she relaxed.

And shut her eyes. It was a mistake she would deeply regret about ten seconds later, when she didn't see his silver eyes flying open and a wicked grin spreading across his face, seeing the possibilities of what he might possibly do.

"BOO!" he cried, suddenly.

She screamed. Or gave a half-scream; she stopped midway.

"ASSHOLE!" she cried, furiously, turning red.

He smirked. "Thanks."

She whacked him on the shoulder, hard. "OW." He said, pouting.

"I cannot believe you did that!" she cried.

"Slytherin, love. It's in my blood." He said, smiling just a bit, though he looked a bit worried: had he made her truly angry?

"Hmph." She sniffed and crossing her legs, turned away from him to face the other side of the room.

"'Mione?" he asked. "I'm sorry Hermione. I didn't mean to make you mad."

"I still can't believe you did that." she said, still not facing him, ignoring how her heartbeat still hadn't slowed down when he'd called her 'love'.

He sat cross-legged, looking at her from behind, though he couldn't see her face properly.

He took her in his arms and sat her down in his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his lips on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, 'Mione." He tucked her hair behind her neck and kissed the side of her throat lightly. Her breath caught.

"I really am," he kissed her again, moving up a bit, this time. "Are you that mad at me?" he kissed her again, reaching her jaw this time. "Please don't be." He kissed her jaw now, moving towards her mouth. "I really didn't mean anything."

He was almost at her mouth now and she had stopped breathing completely.

Finally, she turned her head a bit to the direction of his face, to look at him, desperately trying to maintain the angry expression on her face. It was near impossible.

Finding her lips, or, at least, the corner of them, he kissed her softly. Her mouth trembled. She couldn't stay angry. It was just a joke, anyway.

She turned her body a bit so that she was almost facing him. He shifted her in his lap so she would be more comfortable. He smiled slightly at her, unsurely, before he kissed her full on the mouth.

Her hands went to his cheeks and stroked his silvery blonde hair. He, in turn, wrapped his arms around her waist and traced small patterns on her back. How he managed to retain fine motor skills was beyond her, but he must not have been able to either, as soon enough, his hands settled themselves on the small of her back and stayed there. Her lips parted almost instantly, as did his.

He pulled away just for a moment and asked softly, in his beautiful tenor voice that always made Hermione shiver with pleasure, "Do you forgive me?"

She nodded with a small smile and a glimmer in her eye and said "Mmmhmm", which was almost all she could manage at that moment, what with her being almost numb and electrocuted at the same time, and dragged his face down to hers and kissed him again.


End file.
